Dual Blockade of the Renin-Angiotensin System: A Strategy that Should Be Reconsidered in Cardiorenal Diseases?

Abstract

Studies on pharmacological mechanisms demonstrated that a strategy of dual renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade may have a synergistic effect in the treatment of cardiorenal diseases and may reduce adverse reactions. However, some previous clinical studies reported that dual RAS blockade did not significantly benefit many patients with cardiorenal diseases and increased the risk of hyperkalemia, hypotension and renal function damage. Therefore, the current clinical guidelines suggest that the combined use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) should be used with caution in the clinic. However, these studies enrolled older patients with cardiovascular risk factors, and the results of these trials may not be generalized to the overall population. Some clinical evidence suggests that the combination of low-dose ACEIs and ARBs leads to more effective RAS blockade with few adverse effects. The advent of new RAS inhibitors with superior pharmacological effects provides a more suitable drug choice for individualized therapy for dual RAS blockade. Therefore, the choice of appropriate ARBs/ACEIs for individualized therapy based on patient condition may be a better way to improve the efficiency and safety of the dual RAS blockade strategy.

Keywords: Cardiorenal diseases; Dual blockade strategy; Renin-angiotensin system.