Lisinopril
Classification: CATC code: C09AA03, C09BA03
Summary
Lisinopril reduces the blood pressure as efficiently in men and women.
A common non-dose dependent side effect of ACE-inhibitors is cough which is more common in women. Angiotensin receptor blockers may then be an alternative.
Additional information
Pharmacokinetics and dosing
A pharmacokinetic study (16 men, 16 women) examined the sex-related differences after a single 20 mg dose of lisinopril. There were no differences in plasma concentration between men and women, or in effects on blood pressure or heart rate [19]. No studies with a clinically relevant sex analysis regarding the dosing of lisinopril have been found and no sex differentiation in dosing has been recommended by the pharmaceutical company [6].
Effects
Heart failureA European multicentre cohort study of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (3609 men, 1114 women) found similar all-cause mortality for patients treated with ACE inhibitors (enalapril, lisinopril, or ramipril) given at equivalent doses. No differences between men and women or between age groups were seen [1].In a large cohort study comparing angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with congestive heart failure (9 475 men, 10 223 women), women on ARBs had better survival than women on ACE inhibitors (HR 0.69, 95%CI 0.59-0.80) while men on ARBs had similar survival as men on ACE inhibitors (HR 1.10, 95%CI 0.95-1.30). However, other anti-hypertensive agents were more common in those on ARBs, especially women, leading to a larger blood pressure reduction and thus larger reduction in risk of death. Also, more of those on ARBs were hypertensive than those on ACE inhibitors, and more of those on ACE inhibitors had a history of myocardial infarction than those of ARBs [2]. Additional confounding by indication cannot be excluded.Clinical trials have shown that men and women have similar antihypertensive responses to lisinopril [20-22]. However, in the large ALLHAT study, black men responded better to lisinopril compared to amlodipine than black women when receiving the same dose [23, 24].Pulse pressure (the difference between systolic blood pressure and diastolic pressure) is suggested to be a predictor of cardiovascular disease and may be influenced by genetics. A study examined whether RAS polymorphism had different impact on pulse pressure in men and women taking lisinopril showed no sex differences [25].The dose-dependent antihypertensive efficacy of lisinopril seems to be similar in hypertensive boys and girls aged 6-16 years (n=115), despite patient’s age or ethnicity [6, 26]. HypertensionIn general, the activity level of the endogenous renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which regulates blood pressure, is higher in men than in premenopausal women. Postmenopausal women have higher activity than premenopausal women. This suggests that the efficacy of an RAS inhibitor would be lower in premenopausal women. However, studies on sex differences in the effect of RAS inhibition are contradictory [3, 4]. It has been suggested that black hypertensive patients have a smaller antihypertensive efficacy of ACE inhibitors than non-blacks, possibly due to a higher prevalence of low renin state in black hypertensive patients [5-7].
Adverse effects
Several studies have reported a female predominance in the prevalence of ACE inhibitor induced cough [8-16]. The pathogenesis of the cough reaction is unknown. Different thresholds for coughing in men and women have been proposed [17], as well as ethnic differences in cough tendency [18]. One study suggests that sex hormones do not have any influence on cough, since most of the women in the study were postmenopausal [6].In a Norwegian double-blind multicenter study (206 men, 206 women), nearly three times more women than men spontaneously reported cough with lisinopril (12.6% vs. 4.4%) [16, 27].A review has examined ACE inhibitor-associated angioedema/urticaria; the number of reports among patients taking lisinopril (mean dose 12 mg daily) were similar in men and women [28]. It is suggested that ACE inhibitors cause angioedema to a greater extent in black patients than in non-black patients [6].
Reproductive health issues
ACE inhibitors should not be used in pregnant women. Regarding teratogenic aspects, please consult Janusmed Drugs and Birth Defects (in Swedish, Janusmed fosterpåverkan).
Updated: 2022-10-25
Date of litterature search: 2019-05-16
References
- Fröhlich H, Henning F, Täger T, Schellberg D, Grundtvig M, Goode K et al. Comparative effectiveness of enalapril, lisinopril, and ramipril in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure: a propensity score-matched cohort study. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother. 2018;4(2):82-92. PubMed
- Hudson M, Rahme E, Behlouli H, Sheppard R, Pilote L. Sex differences in the effectiveness of angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with congestive heart failure--a population study. Eur J Heart Fail. 2007;9(6):602-9. PubMed
- Coulter DM, Edwards IR. Cough associated with captopril and enalapril. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1987;294:1521-3. PubMed
- Strocchi E, Valtancoli G, Ambrosioni E. The incidence of cough during treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. J Hypertens Suppl. 1989;7:S308-9. PubMed
- Kostis JB, Shelton B, Gosselin G, Goulet C, Hood WB, Kohn RM et al. Adverse effects of enalapril in the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) SOLVD Investigators. Am Heart J. 1996;131:350-5. PubMed
- Sharma S, Gupta U, Bapna JS, Sahai A. Tolerability of enalapril in mild to moderate hypertension. J Assoc Physicians India. 1995;43:475-6. PubMed
- Yeşil S, Yeşil M, Bayata S, Postaci N. ACE inhibitors and cough. Angiology. 1994;45:805-8. PubMed
- Yeo WW, Ramsay LE. Persistent dry cough with enalapril: incidence depends on method used. J Hum Hypertens. 1990;4:517-20. PubMed
- Just PM. The positive association of cough with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Pharmacotherapy. 1989;9:82-7. PubMed
- Gibson GR. Enalapril-induced cough. Arch Intern Med. 1989;149:2701-3. PubMed
- Os I, Bratland B, Dahlöf B, Gisholt K, Syvertsen JO, Tretli S. Female sex as an important determinant of lisinopril-induced cough. Lancet. 1992;339:372. PubMed
- Dykewicz MS. Cough and angioedema from angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors: new insights into mechanisms and management. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;4:267-70. PubMed
- Morimoto T, Gandhi TK, Fiskio JM, Seger AC, So JW, Cook EF et al. An evaluation of risk factors for adverse drug events associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. J Eval Clin Pract. 2004;10:499-509. PubMed
- Sáenz-Campos D, Bayés MC, Masana E, Martín S, Barbanoj M, Jané F. Sex-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variations of lisinopril. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1996;18:533-8. PubMed
- Zestril (lisinopril). Summary of Product Characteristics. Medical Products Agency Sweden; 2016.
- Alici G, Aliyev F, Bellur G, Okcun B, Türkoğlu C, Karpuz H. Effect of seven different modalities of antihypertensive therapy on pulse pressure in patients with newly diagnosed stage I hypertension. Cardiovasc Ther. 2009;27:4-9. PubMed
- Weir MR, Reisin E, Falkner B, Hutchinson HG, Sha L, Tuck ML. Nocturnal reduction of blood pressure and the antihypertensive response to a diuretic or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor in obese hypertensive patients TROPHY Study Group. Am J Hypertens. 1998;11:914-20. PubMed
- Oparil S, Davis BR, Cushman WC, Ford CE, Furberg CD, Habib GB et al. Mortality and morbidity during and after Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial: results by sex. Hypertension. 2013;61:977-86. PubMed
- Falconnet C, Bochud M, Bovet P, Maillard M, Burnier M. Gender difference in the response to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and a diuretic in hypertensive patients of African descent. J Hypertens. 2004;22:1213-20. PubMed
- Leenen FH, Nwachuku CE, Black HR, Cushman WC, Davis BR, Simpson LM et al. Clinical events in high-risk hypertensive patients randomly assigned to calcium channel blocker versus angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor in the antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment to prevent heart attack trial. Hypertension. 2006;48:374-84. PubMed
- Lynch AI, Arnett DK, Davis BR, Boerwinkle E, Ford CE, Eckfeldt JH et al. Sex-specific effects of AGT-6 and ACE I/D on pulse pressure after 6 months on antihypertensive treatment: the GenHAT study. Ann Hum Genet. 2007;71:735-45. PubMed
- Soffer B, Zhang Z, Miller K, Vogt BA, Shahinfar S. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response study of the effectiveness and safety of lisinopril for children with hypertension. Am J Hypertens. 2003;16:795-800. PubMed
- Os I, Bratland B, Dahløf B, Gisholt K, Syvertsen JO, Tretli S. Lisinopril or nifedipine in essential hypertension? A Norwegian multicenter study on efficacy, tolerability and quality of life in 828 patients. J Hypertens. 1991;9:1097-104. PubMed
- Pillans PI, Coulter DM, Black P. Angiooedema and urticaria with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1996;51:123-6. PubMed
- Läkemedelsstatistik. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen. 2018 [cited 2019-03-08.] länk
- Zapater P, Novalbos J, Gallego-Sandín S, Hernández FT, Abad-Santos F. Gender differences in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and inhibition by enalaprilat in healthy volunteers. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2004;43(5):737-44. PubMed
- Komukai K, Mochizuki S, Yoshimura M. Gender and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2010;24(6):687-98. PubMed
- Renitec (enalapril). Summary of Product Characteristics. Swedish Medical Products Agency [updated 2019-05-14, cited 2019-05-16].
- Zestril (lisinopril). Summary of Product Characteristics. Medical Products Agency Sweden; 2016.
- Triatec (ramipril). Summary of Product Characteristics. Swedish Medical Products Agency [updated 2019-05-14, cited 2019-05-16].
Reviewed by: Mia von Euler
Approved by: Karin Schenck-Gustafsson