Researchers have found another alternative drug for those who can't tolerate regular blood pressure medications, according to a study released Sunday.
Telmisartan is one of several angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), used to lower blood pressure. It can also slightly reduce the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke.
About 20 per cent of patients stop taking angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are usually used to lower blood pressure, because of cough, kidney problems and swelling.
ACE inhibitors work by slowing the production of angiotensin II, a naturally occurring hormone that constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. The process can cause a build up of other hormones, such as bradykinin, which causes side effects in some people.
Telmisartan lowers blood pressure by blocking the receptor sites for angiotensin II, without causing the build-up of other hormones.
The international study was led by Canadian researchers and published in The Lancet.
The study enrolled nearly 6,000 people worldwide, who couldn't tolerate ACE inhibitors. Dr. Salim Yusuf, director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, said that benefits of the drug are modest. One person out of 50 would be saved from cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke, over a five-year period, he said.
However, he said this doesn't mean the drug is not useful.
"Given the large proportion of people who are unable to tolerate an ACE inhibitor, the use of telmisartan would be clinically important," Yusuf said.
It has not been proven that Telmisartan is better or worse than any of the ARBs currently on the market, he said.
The study was conducted in 630 hospitals in 40 countries.
