Tag: Angiotensin converting enzyme

According to the National Institutes of Health, a persistent, dry cough can affect anywhere from 5% to 35% of patients taking ACE inhibitors, a class of medication that includes ramipril. This side effect can be irritating but is not typically harmful and often resolves when the medication is discontinued.

With a plasma half-life of only 15–30 seconds, bradykinin is a potent peptide whose biological effects are tightly controlled by rapid enzymatic destruction. The primary enzyme responsible for this rapid inactivation is angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), but it is not the only one. This article explores the specific enzymes involved and the medical implications when the system that naturally destroys bradykinin is inhibited.