Captopril in the treatment of hypertension associated with claudication

The effect of captopril was studied in 40 hypertensive patients (WHO stages I and II) with peripheral vascular disease of the lower limbs (Fontaine stages IIa and IIb). We assessed systolic and diastolic arterial pressure, heart rate in supine and upright position, relative and absolute pain free intervals, and ankle/arm pressure index at rest and after treadmill exercise test. In the first part of the study 20 patients were divided into two groups, one of which was treated with chlorthalidone (25 mg/day) and the other with captopril (50 mg two times a day) for 8 weeks. Statistically significant improvements were only obtained in the captopril-treated group. They concerned the ankle/arm pressure index at rest (P<0.05) and after exercise (P<0.05) and the absolute pain free interval (P<0.05) as well as systolic arterial pressure. Furthermore, 20 more patients were treated with captopril (50 mg two times a day) for 8 weeks, and improvements were found in ankle/arm pressure index at rest (P<0.01) and after execise (P<0.001) and in relative and absolute pain free intervals (P<0.001) as well as in as in systolic and diastolic arterial pressure. These results indicate an increase in flow to the limbs of patients with vascular disease treated with captopril, and suggest that captopril is an effective drug without contraindications for the treatment of hypertension associated with claudication.