Serum lipids and apolipoproteins in patients with essential hypertension

Fifty hypertensive untreated outpatients (34 women, 16 men), with stage I and II essential hypertension, were studied in comparison to 50 age- and sex-matched controls with similar life-styles. Total cholesterol triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol were measured by enzymatic methods, and apolipoproteins AI, AII, B, CII, CIII and E by RID. The results showed significant differences between hypertensives and controls respectively in triglycerides (135.2 ± 73.9 versus 90.2 ± 33.8, P 0.01) while no significant differences were observed in total, LDL and HDL cholesterol. Significant differences between the two groups were also observed in apolipoproteins, particularly in apo AI (130.0 ± 28.2 versus 144.9 ± 27.9, P < 0.05), apo AII (32.9 ± 10.2 versus 39.6 ± 11.4, P < 0.01), apo CII (4.0 ± 2.6 versus 5.4 ± 2.9, P < 0.05) and apo E (5.0 ± 1.8 versus 4.3 ± 1.8, P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in apo B and CIII values. The results suggest that in untreated hypertensive patients alterations in the apolipoproteins profile are present which, in part, may be responsible for the elevated incidence of cardiovascular disease, independently from the blood pressure values.