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Blood Pressure Medicines for Kidney Disease

According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, two of the the most common types of medications prescribed for high blood pressure, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), have an added protective benefit on the kidneys.

  1. ACE Inhibitors

    • Research has shown that ACE inhibitors and ARBs can reduce proteinuria, which is the presence of an excess of serum proteins in the urine, and slow the progression of kidney damage. According to the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, ACE inhibitors can reduce the risk of developing diabetes-related kidney disease. Taking an ACE inhibitor in this study provided further protection against kidney disease.

    ARBs

    • Similar to ACE inhibitors, ARBs can reduce proteinuria and slow the progression of damage to the kidneys. ARBs are prescribed for helping patients control high blood pressure, treating heart failure and preventing kidney failure. Because ARBs have effects that mimic those of ACE inhibitors, they are sometimes used when ACE inhibitor therapy cannot be tolerated by patients. A survey of studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that ACE inhibitor and ARB therapy are both effective for reducing proteinuria, but a combination of the two therapies works better than either agent individually.

    Types of Drugs

    • Common ACE inhibitors that are prescribed by physicians are captopril (Capoten), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and ramipril (Altace). Some common ARB drugs prescribed by physicians are losartan (Cozaar), olmesartan (Benicar) and valsartan (Diovan).

    Risk of Kidney Failure Related to High Blood Pressure

    • The majority of people with high blood pressure have some risk of kidney failure, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. African Americans are much more likely than whites to develop high blood pressure and related kidney issues. People who have diabetes also have a much higher risk of developing kidney disease. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases conducted a study and found that ACE inhibitors were the most effective treatments for slowing the onset of kidney disease in African-American populations.

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