Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin II receptor antagonists (AIIRA) are considered to be equally effective for patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), but renal and not mortality outcomes have usually been considered.

To evaluate the benefits and harms ACEi and AIIRA in patients with DKD.

We searched MEDLINE (1966 to December 2005), EMBASE (1980 to December 2005), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library issue 4 2005) and contacted known investigators.

Studies comparing ACEi or AIIRA with placebo or each other in patients with DKD were included.

Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Statistical analyses were performed using the random effects model and results expressed as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity among studies was explored using the Cochran Q statistic and the I² test, subgroup analyses and random effects meta‐regression.

Forty nine studies (12,067 patients) were identified. Thirty eight compared ACEi with placebo, four compared AIIRA with placebo and seven compared ACEi and AIIRA directly. There was no significant difference in the risk of all‐cause mortality for ACEi versus placebo (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.17) and AIIRA versus placebo (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.17). A subgroup analysis of studies using full‐dose ACEi versus studies using half or less than half the maximum tolerable dose of ACEi showed a significant reduction in the risk of all‐cause mortality with the use of full‐dose ACEi (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.98). Baseline mortality rates were similar in the ACEi and AIIRA studies. The effects of ACEi and AIIRA on renal outcomes (ESKD, doubling of creatinine, prevention of progression of micro‐ to macroalbuminuria, remission of micro‐ to normoalbuminuria) were similarly beneficial. Reliable estimates of effect of ACEi versus AIIRA could not be obtained from the three studies in which they were compared directly because of their small sample size.

Although the survival benefits of ACEi are known for patients with DKD, the relative effects on survival of ACEi with AIIRA are unknown due to the lack of adequate direct comparison studies. In placebo controlled studies, only ACEi (at the maximum tolerable dose, but not lower so‐called renal doses) were found to significantly reduce the risk of all‐cause mortality. Renal and toxicity profiles of these two classes of agents were not significantly different.