Why do antihypertensive drugs cause cough?

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One of the methods of treating high blood pressure is using drugs, the doctor will examine and prescribe different drugs until the patient's body is suitable for high blood pressure medication. However, some groups of drugs used to treat high blood pressure can cause coughing.

1. Why do you have high blood pressure?

What is blood pressure? It is the pressure of the blood on the walls of the blood vessels.
Blood pressure is expressed by 2 numbers: normal systolic blood pressure from 90 to 139 mmHg, and normal diastolic pressure from 60 to 89 mmHg. Normal blood pressure for adults is: 120/80 mmHg.
Hypertension is diagnosed when the systolic blood pressure is greater than 140 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure is greater than 90 mmHg.
Most cases of hypertension have no known cause, so it is called essential hypertension. In the remaining cases, high blood pressure can be caused by:
Overweight: When you are overweight or obese, you will definitely have high blood pressure. Being overweight and having high blood pressure both increase the risk of heart disease. Age: The older you are, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure because blood vessels are changed a lot. Smoking: This is the most common cause of high blood pressure. Smoking narrows blood vessels, reducing the amount of oxygen available in the body, causing the heart to pump blood harder, causing high blood pressure. High-fat diet: Foods high in saturated fat are very dangerous for the body. Salty: Salt increases the absorption of water into the blood, causing an increase in blood pressure. Consequences of certain diseases: For example, kidney disease, thyroid disease, adrenal tumors or effects caused by birth control pills, cold medicines, ...

High blood pressure is very dangerous, it can lead to damage to the arteries and veins, reducing blood flow throughout the body leading to stroke, heart attack and heart failure. Other parts of the body such as the kidneys, limbs, and eyes can also be damaged.
High blood pressure usually develops over many years and eventually it affects all the organs of the person. Fortunately, high blood pressure can easily be detected and controlled with the use of blood pressure medications.

2. Medications for high blood pressure include which types?

One of the ways to treat high blood pressure is to use drugs, the doctor will examine and prescribe many different drugs until the patient's body accepts the appropriate blood pressure medication:
Beta blockers: These drugs work to dilate the arteries and help the heart beat more slowly, putting less pressure on the heart and lowering blood pressure. Diuretics: Diuretics to treat high blood pressure have the effect of excreting salt and excess fluid out of the body through urine, helping to lower blood pressure to lower blood pressure. ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin receptors: Drugs that inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme prevent the body from producing too much of this chemical, thereby helping to reduce blood pressure and dilate blood vessels. Calcium blockers: This type of antihypertensive drug works to block some calcium radicals from entering the heart muscle, reducing pressure from the heart and reducing blood pressure; Alpha-2 Blocker: This medication lowers blood pressure and dilates blood vessels.

However, among the above blood pressure medications, there are 3 groups of drugs that can cause dry cough as a side effect:
Inhibitors of ACE and Angiotensin receptors: This is a group of blood pressure drugs that cause coughing because it not only catalys the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II but also plays a role in the breakdown of a biological substance called bradykinin, if ACE inhibitors, bradykinin is not broken down at the required level, it will cause excess stimulation of cough in the airways. respiratory tract leading to dry cough. Beta-blockers: This class of drugs slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure, causing bronchospasm. However, the incidence of cough with beta-blockers is less than with ACE inhibitors. Calcium channel blockers: This class of cough suppressant blood pressure medications is unknown. The incidence of cough due to calcium blockers is about 1-6%. In addition, this group of drugs can also lower blood pressure because it blocks the flow of calcium ions from entering the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels, causing vasodilation.

3. What to do with cough medicine to treat high blood pressure?

If you have a lot of cough, you can take regular cough medicine for a few days. When the prescription for cough medicine does not improve, the patient should see a doctor for treatment of high blood pressure. When you are diagnosed with a cough caused by antihypertensive drugs, your doctor will replace the medicine you are taking with a new one that does not cause a cough or give you the lowest effective dose. Besides replacing medicine, your doctor will take measures to reduce the factors that trigger the cough reflex for you. Note: Do not arbitrarily quit high blood pressure medication when you have a cough, because if you stop taking the medicine, your blood pressure will not be controlled, but it will skyrocket, which is dangerous for the patient.

Vinmec International General Hospital now has a Basic Hypertension Checkup Package and an Advanced Hypertension Checkup Package, helping to determine the causes, complications and levels of hypertension. The advantages of choosing Vinmec to screen for hypertension include:
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Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.