Why Am I Coughing After Taking Hypertension?

Contents:

Medical Video: Blood Pressure Facts: Cold & Flu Medicine

Kaptopril is a first-line blood pressure-lowering drug (antihypertensive) which is included in the ACE inhibitor class. Aside from being a blood pressure lowering agent, this hypertension drug is also useful in the treatment of chronic kidney failure and heart failure. Although it is generally well tolerated in patients, there are side effects that are quite disturbing, which can cause a dry cough.

What and how Captopril and other ACE inhibitor hypertension drugs cause this effect, see the following explanation.

What is Captopril and ACE inhibitors?

ACE stands for Angiotensin-converting enzyme. Angiotensin is a chemical that causes the arteries to tighten. ACE inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) helps the body produce less angiotensin, which helps blood vessels to relax, thereby ultimately lowering blood pressure.

The drugs included in the ACE inhibitor class are easy to remember because everything ends -pril namely benazepril HCl, captopril, enalapril maleate, fosinopril sodium, lisinopril, moexipril, perindropil, quinapril HCl, ramipril, and trandolapril.

Is it true that taking an ACE inhibitor makes hypertension cough?

Dry cough is reported to occur in 5 to 20 percent of patients treated with ACE inhibitors. In the ONTARGET study, ramipril caused a cough that was severe enough to be stopped and this effect was observed in 4.2 percent of patients taking ramipril. So, not everyone will experience coughing after taking this hypertension medication.

Coughing does not immediately occur after use of the drug, but usually starts at one to two weeks of therapy. However, it can also appear delayed up to six months. Interestingly, when viewed from gender, female patients are more often affected by this cough than men.

This cough occurs due to drug induction, so it will heal when the drug is stopped. Usually coughing resolves within 1-4 days after therapy is stopped, but it can also take up to 4 weeks. If in the future the patient takes the same medication or a different drug but is still in the ACE inhibitor class, a dry cough will usually occur again.

In asthma patients who use ACE inhibitor drugs, it is not shown to increase coughing, but can be accompanied by bronchospasm.

How can ACE inhibitors cause side effects of dry cough?

The exact mechanism is not yet clear. However, an increase in certain compounds after administration of the drug may have a large share. These compounds are local kinin, P substance, prostaglandin, or thromboxane.

Kinin (bradykinin) and substance P are processed by the ACE enzyme. When ACE is inhibited by captopril and other hypertensive drugs with the same group, the levels increase. The presence of high kinin levels can subsequently cause bronchial irritation and cough through increased production of prostaglandins, which can then stimulate afferent C fibers in the respiratory tract.

Another mechanism that is believed is the activation of the arachidonic acid pathway due to the inhibition of the ACE enzyme. When this pathway is active, it will increase thromboxane levels, which in turn results in bronchoconstriction (narrowing of the airways) so that you cough.

How do you treat dry cough because of the use of ACE inhibitors?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin have been reportedcan reduce cough caused by side effects of ACE inhibitors. However, these results have not been studied in large trials anymore, and some experts do not recommend it.

Therefore, the best solution is to consult your doctor directly. Your doctor may give advice on stopping therapy and / or prescribing other types of antihypertensive drugs that are suitable for your health condition.

Why Am I Coughing After Taking Hypertension?
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