Comparative Effect of Captopril and Nifedipine in Normotensive Patients With Incipient Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

In these studies, the effect of a 6-wk treatment by placebo, the calcium-channel blocker nifedipine, or the converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril was assessed in normotensive patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and incipient nephropathy. In response to captopril and nifedipine, arterial pressure decreased slightly and to a similar extent. These drugs resulted in opposite effects on urinary excretion of albumin [i.e., increase in urinary albumin excretion (UAE) by 40% during nifedipine treatment and decrease by 40% during captopril treatment]. No change in UAE was observed in the p acebo group. This observation of opposite changes in U E i the presence of a similar fall in arterial pressur suggests that the effects of captopril and nifedipine o UAE result from some difference in their intrarenal a ction. The data do not present recommendations for the use or disuse of captopril or nifedipine in such a group of patients and do not allow extrapolation to hypertensive diabetic subjects well controlled by other conventional antihypertensive agents.