[Combination therapy with losartan and fosinopril for early diabetic nephropathy].

Objective: To observe the effects of combined use of losartan and fosinopril in the treatment of early diabetic nephropathy.

Methods: Fifty-seven patients with diabetic nephropathy were divided equally into group A with treatment with losartan (50 mg) and fosinopril (10 mg) daily, group B with daily losartan treatment (50-100 mg), and group C with fosinopril treatment at the daily dose of 10-20 mg. After the 6-month medication, the patients underwent examinations for changes in the mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and 24-h urine protein excretion.

Results: Losartan or fosinopril used alone or in combination significantly lowered MABP, 24-h urine protein excretion, SCr and BUN in the patients ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). In spite of the absence of significant differences between the patient groups, combination use of the two drugs produced the most obvious reduction of the parameters measured.

Conclusion: Combined use of losartan and fosinopril may decrease MABP, 24-h urine protein excretion, SCr and BUN to a greater extent than the use of losartan or fosinopril alone.