Enalapril Maleate for the treatment of hypertension

Enalapril, also known as Vasotec, is used to control hypertension. High blood pressure is a significant risk factor in cardiovascular deaths, which happens to be the leading cause of death in America. In light of that risk, controlling high blood pressure is an important aspect of your personal health. Enalapril is in a category of medications known as ACE inhibitors.
In order to understand how enalapril works, it is necessary to explain some basic blood pressure physiology. One of the key methods your body uses to control blood pressure is known as the Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, or just the RAS system. The system is a cascade of events that starts and ends in the kidneys and leads to the retention of water when it is activated. Bear with me while I explain it all, there is a point at the end.

There is a part of your kidneys known as the juxtaglomerular apparatus. This is a cluster of cells in the kidney which sense blood pressure. When there is a drop in blood volume or pressure for whatever reason (dehydration or excessive bleeding for example), the cells in the juxtaglomerular apparatus release a chemical known as renin.

The renin serves to cut and activate another protein which is floating around in your blood all the time. This protein is called angiotensinogen. The activated angiotensinogen is called angiotensin I. Are you following along so far? Good.

Angiotensin I then travels through the blood stream to the lungs. There another enzyme called, appropriately, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), cuts the angiotensin I and makes angiotensin II. This is a key step what we will return to later.

Angiotensin II has numerous functions, all of which are aimed at retaining water in the body. The key functions include stimulating the release ofaldosterone and the release of vasopressin , also known as anti-diuretic hormone. These two chemicals act in several ways to force your body to retain water. The retention of water is an attempt to increase your blood pressure. Remember that this sequence of events was triggered by low blood pressure, so it should make sense the the end result is the opposite of the trigger.

Now, you may be asking yourself at this point: what in the world does all this have to do with Enalapril? Enalapril blocks the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) from functioning. This means that angiotensin I is not converted to angiotensin II and all of the subsequent events in the cascade that lead to increased blood pressure do not happen. The end result is that your blood pressure remains low, or at least lower than it would be without the enalapril.

Although enalapril and other ACE inhibitors can be quite effective, they're are some precautions that must be taken for them to be used safely. ACE inhibitors should never be given to a woman who is pregnant. ACE inhibitors can cause a cough, as well as dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, nausea, or vomiting. Of course, not all of these can be expected, they are simply possibilities. Enalapril can only be prescribed by your doctor. If you have any questions about this medication or your blood pressure, be sure to speak with your physician.