Identify a common side effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are commonly prescribed medications for managing conditions such as hypertension and heart failure. A notable side effect associated with these medications is a dry cough. This side effect occurs due to the accumulation of bradykinin, a peptide that ACE inhibitors inhibit. Under normal circumstances, ACE breaks down bradykinin, and when this inhibition occurs, elevated bradykinin levels can lead to increased sensitivity in the respiratory tract, resulting in a persistent cough in some patients.

This cough is typically nonproductive and can often be bothersome enough to lead patients to discontinue the medication or switch to an alternative antihypertensive class, such as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), which do not affect bradykinin levels in the same way.

While nausea, rash, and dizziness can occur with various medications, they are not as uniquely associated with ACE inhibitors as the cough, making this side effect a well-known and documented phenomenon in patients taking these drugs.