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Serum lipids and apolipoproteins in patients with essential hypertension
M Catalano1, A Aronica, G Carzaniga
1Research Center on Vascular Diseases, University of Milan, Osp. L. Sacco, Italy.
Insights
Untreated hypertension is linked to altered lipid profiles, specifically higher triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol. These changes in apolipoproteins may increase cardiovascular disease risk independently of blood pressure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Lipidology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Essential hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Lipid metabolism and apolipoprotein profiles are implicated in cardiovascular health.
- Understanding these factors in untreated hypertension is crucial for risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate lipid and apolipoprotein differences in untreated stage I and II essential hypertension patients compared to controls.
- To determine if these alterations contribute to cardiovascular disease risk independently of blood pressure.
Main Methods:
- Enzymatic methods for measuring total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol.
- Radial Immunodiffusion (RID) for quantifying apolipoproteins AI, AII, B, CII, CIII, and E.
- Comparison of 50 untreated hypertensive patients with 50 age- and sex-matched controls.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive patients showed significantly higher triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol compared to controls.
- No significant differences were found in total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol between groups.
- Significant differences were observed in apolipoproteins AI, AII, CII, and E levels between hypertensives and controls.
Conclusions:
- Untreated essential hypertension is associated with specific alterations in lipid and apolipoprotein profiles.
- These apolipoprotein changes may play a role in the increased cardiovascular disease incidence observed in hypertensive individuals.
- The findings suggest a potential mechanism for cardiovascular risk that is independent of blood pressure levels.
Abstract:
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 less than 0.01) and VLDL cholesterol (26.7 +/- 14.8 versus 17.7 +/- 6.6, P less than 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 less than 0.05), apo AII (32.9 +/- 10.2 versus 39.6 +/- 11.4, P less than 0.01), apo CII (4.0 +/- 2.6 versus 5.4 +/- 2.9, P less than 0.05) and apo E (5.0 +/- 1.8 versus 4.3 +/- 1.8, P less than 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.