Olmesartan medoxomil is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used to treat high blood pressure. Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists should be used with caution in renal artery stenosis. Monitoring of plasma-potassium concentration is advised, particularly in the elderly and in patients with renal impairment; lower initial doses may be appropriate in these patients. Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists should be used with caution in aortic or mitral valve stenosis and in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Those with primary aldosteronism, and Afro-Caribbean patients (particularly those with left ventricular hypertrophy), may not benefit from an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist. The olmesartan molecule includes one tetrazole group (a 5-member heterocyclic ring of four nitrogen and one carbon atom) and one imidazole group (a 5-membered planar heterocyclic aromatic ring of two nitrogen and three carbon atoms, classified as an alkaloid).
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