PART 1: RAAS Blockers – Are They All The Same?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a crucial mechanism by which our bodies maintain blood pressure and fluid & electrolyte balance. Any disruption to this system may upset the carefully maintained equilibrium, leading to development of hypertension and cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Thus, RAAS has been a key therapeutic target in hypertension since the serendipity discovery of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) in the 1970s. The use of ACEis have also evolved over the decades, from a stand-alone blood pressure (BP) lowering agent to critical underpinnings of CV protection in high-risk patients following improved elucidation of its role.