High-altitude pulmonary hypertension: Effects of captopril on pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures

PubMedID: 8872846The purpose of investigation was the assessment of the effect of captopril on both systemic (P(a)) and pulmonary arterial pressures (P(PA)) in patients with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH). Seventeen patients (mean age 44 ± 6.8 years) with HAPH and mild-to-moderate systemic arterial hypertension were included in the study. All the patients underwent right heart catheterization with measurements of systolic P(PA) (P(PA,syst)), mean P(PA) (P¯(PA)) and diastolic P(PA) (P(PA,diast)). After a 4 week placebo phase, patients with P(PA,syst) > 25 mmHg, P¯(PA) > 15 mmHg and systemic diastolic blood pressure (P(a,diast)) > 100 mmHg received captopril (50-75 mg at 08.00) for a period of 12 weeks. The statistical evaluation of the results were made using the Student's t-test. It was found that captopril significantly decreases P(PA) and P(a)