A.C.E. inhibitors gain new ground as multi-purpose cardiac drugs.

Ramipril (Altace), prescribed for years for high blood pressure and other vascular conditions, can also prevent and reverse enlargement of the heart — a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death — even in patients without hypertension, according to a new study.

The research is the first of its kind to suggest that the drug, an A.C.E. inhibitor, might blunt the dangers of heart enlargement, called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), in a wide range of high-risk patients. And the findings raise new hope that physicians can make “preemptive strikes” at heart disease before it does its worst damage. …

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