Captopril, an orally active angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor in the treatment of renovascular and essential hypertension.

The hypotensive response to captopril is described for 12 hypertensive patients, 7 of whom had renovascular hypertension. The drug was effective in lowering blood pressure. The few reversible adverse reactions that occurred included loss of the sense of taste in one patient and rash and fever in another. Three patients with renal failure showed deterioration of renal function during treatment, suggesting the advisability of treating such cases with lower dosages.