Daniel S. Tseng, MD, MPH

Daniel Tseng, MD is recognized for his work as principal investigator on one of the few studies to examine the relationship between ethnicity and tolerance of hypertension medications. Study results are reported in the article “Angiotensin-converting Enzyme-related Cough Among Chinese-Americans,” published in The American Journal of Medicine (February 2010).

Dr. Tseng and his team launched the study to investigate the theory that Chinese-Americans might have a higher risk of cough associated with Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are commonly prescribed for hypertension and for renal and cardiovascular disease.

The team performed a comprehensive medical record study of all patients who received a prescription for the ACE inhibitor lisinopril any time during 2005 at the Santa Clara medical center.

The study proved what had long been suspected — that Chinese-Americans were significantly more likely to experience the chronic cough associated with ACE inhibitors than the general population. Due to the cough, the Chinese group was more than twice as likely as the general population to discontinue their medication.

Dr. Tseng’s study sheds new light on the effect of hypertension treatment on the Chinese population and presents strong evidence that clinicians should consider ethnicity when deciding on therapy for hypertension, congestive heart failure or kidney disease.