Giving an ACE inhibitor to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication reduces pain and increases walking time, according to a new study published in JAMA. Currently the pharmacologic options for this patient population are few and have limited efficacy.
Researchers at three Australian hospitals randomized 212 patients with PAD to receive the ACE inhibitor ramipril or placebo for 24 weeks. Compared to the patients on placebo, patients on the ACE inhibitor had a mean 75 second increase in their pain-free walking time (156 seconds in the placebo group versus 229 seconds in the ramipril group, p<0.001) and a 255-second increase in their maximum walking time (259 seconds in the placebo group versus 512 seconds in the ramipril group, p<.001). The ACE inhibitor was also associated with improvements in other secondary measures of walking and physical quality of life.
Click here to read the full story on Forbes.
Speak Your Mind