enalapril
Meaning of enalapril: Enalapril is an ACE inhibitor that relaxes blood vessels, used broadly to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.
Definition of enalapril
Enalapril is a medication belonging to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors, short for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. It works by blocking the enzyme responsible for producing angiotensin II, a substance that narrows blood vessels and raises blood pressure, and by reducing angiotensin II production, enalapril allows blood vessels to relax and widen.
Enalapril is widely used to treat high blood pressure and is also used to manage heart failure, since reducing the resistance the heart pumps against can ease its workload and improve symptoms in that condition. It is taken by mouth and is one of several medications within the same ACE inhibitor class.
Enalapril has also been studied for a more specific protective use in people who received certain childhood cancer treatments known to affect the heart, aiming to help slow or prevent later heart problems related to that earlier treatment, an application distinct from its main, established uses.
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Used in a sentence
Enalapril was prescribed to help manage the patient's high blood pressure.
Good to know
ACE inhibitors such as enalapril are associated with a characteristic dry cough in some people, a recognized side effect distinct from the medication's primary blood pressure lowering effect.