Benazepril Disease Interactions

The use of these agents is contraindicated in patients with hereditary angioedema or a history of idiopathic angioedema. Patients with a history of angioedema unrelated to ACE inhibitors may be at increased risk of angioedema while receiving an ACE inhibitor. Patients should be advised to immediately report any signs or symptoms suggestive of angioedema (swelling of face, extremities, eyes, lips, or tongue, or difficulty swallowing or breathing) and to stop taking the medication until otherwise directed by their physician. Emergency therapy and/or measures to prevent airway obstruction are required for angioedema involving the tongue, glottis, or larynx. Treatment with ACE inhibitors should be discontinued permanently if angioedema develops in association with therapy.

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ACE inhibitors may cause bone marrow suppression, rarely in uncomplicated individuals but more frequently in patients with renal impairment, especially if they also have a collagen-vascular disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. Neutropenia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, eosinophilia and thrombocytopenia have been reported, mostly with captopril. Therapy with ACE inhibitors should be administered cautiously in patients with preexisting blood dyscrasias or complications that may increase the risk of bone marrow depression during ACE inhibitor therapy. Monitoring of blood counts, particularly white blood cells, should be considered.

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Anaphylactoid reactions have been reported in patients undergoing hemodialysis with high-flux polyacrylonitrile membranes and treated concomitantly with an ACE inhibitor. The frequency and mechanism of this interaction have not been established, and it is not known whether the interaction occurs with other membrane types. Therapy with ACE inhibitors should be administered cautiously in patients requiring hemodialysis.

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In patients with hyperkalemia, especially those associated with impaired renal function or congestive heart failure, ACE inhibitors may further raise serum potassium levels. Therapy with ACE inhibitors should be administered cautiously in patients with or predisposed to hyperkalemia, and serum potassium levels should be carefully monitored. Risk factors for the development of hyperkalemia during ACE inhibitor therapy include renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, and the concomitant use of potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, and/or potassium-containing salt substitutes.

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ACE inhibitors can cause symptomatic hypotension, most often during the initiation of therapy and in patients who are volume- and/or sodium-depleted or treated for congestive heart failure (CHF). Therapy with ACE inhibitors should be administered cautiously in such patients and in those predisposed to hypovolemic or hyponatremic states (e.g., patients on diuretic therapy, especially if it was recently instituted; those on dietary salt restriction; those with severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting; and renal dialysis patients). Volume and/or sodium depletion should be corrected prior to initiating therapy with ACE inhibitors, and the patient should be hemodynamically stable. If concomitant diuretics and/or dietary sodium restriction are employed, reducing or temporarily withholding the dosing of diuretics and/or liberalizing dietary sodium intake for 2 to 3 days in advance can help minimize the risk of severe hypotension in patients who are able to tolerate such adjustments. ACE inhibitors should also be used cautiously in patients in whom excessive hypotension may have serious consequences, such as patients with coronary or cerebrovascular insufficiency. Patients at risk for excessive hypotension should initiate ACE inhibitor therapy under very close medical supervision, and followed closely for the first 2 weeks of treatment and whenever the dosage of ACE inhibitor or diuretic is increased.

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Rarely, elevations of liver enzymes and/or serum bilirubin have occurred with the use of ACE inhibitors. Patients receiving ACE inhibitors who develop jaundice or marked elevations of hepatic enzymes should discontinue the ACE inhibitor and receive appropriate medical follow-up.

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With the exception of fosinopril, ACE inhibitors (and/or their active metabolites in some cases) are primarily eliminated by the kidney and may accumulate in patients with renal impairment. ACE inhibitors can also worsen renal function in some patients by blocking the effect of angiotensin II-mediated efferent arteriolar vasoconstriction, thereby decreasing glomerular filtration. Therapy with ACE inhibitors should be administered cautiously in patients with preexisting renal dysfunction, particularly those with renovascular disease. Patients with moderate to severe renal impairment usually require lower or less frequent doses and smaller increments in dose. In addition, a dosage reduction or discontinuation of any concomitantly administered diuretics may be helpful. Fosinopril probably does not require dosage adjustments unless hepatic function is also significantly impaired.

In patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or renal artery stenosis in a solitary kidney, ACE inhibitors may reduce renal perfusion to a critically low level. Renal function should be monitored closely for the first few weeks of therapy.

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