ACE inhibitor may increase walking time in patients with PAD.

Forbes (2/5, 928K) blogger Larry Husten writes, "Giving an ACE inhibitor to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication reduces pain and increases walking time, according to a new study published in JAMA. Currently the pharmacologic options for this patient population are few and have limited efficacy."

        MedPage Today (2/6, Bankhead) reports that researchers found that "the average pain-free walking time increased by more than 60% and maximum walking time more than doubled after 6 months of treatment with the ACE inhibitor." Nearly "all secondary outcomes improved significantly with ramipril versus placebo, including ankle-brachial index (ABI), an impairment scale specific to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and functional aspects of health-related quality of life."

        Heartwire (2/6, Busko) reports that in an editorial accompanying the study, Dr Mary McGrae McDermott wrote that "this randomized controlled trial shows very promising results for the ability of ramipril to improve walking, and physicians should consider using it for patients who are troubled by symptoms of PAD."

        But, "one thing that's not clear, according to McDermott, is how well improvements in treadmill walking translate into real life,"HealthDay (2/6, Norton) reports. Medwire (2/6, McDermid) also covers the story.