Abnormalities of lipid metabolism and arterial rigidity in young subjects with borderline hypertension.

Plasma lipoprotein levels and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, used as a marker of aortic rigidity, were evaluated in 53 young subjects with borderline hypertension by comparison with normotensive controls of the same age and body surface area. Subjects with body weight excess, exaggerated alcohol intake, and/or tobacco consumption were excluded from the study. Borderline hypertensive patients were characterized by significantly higher values of pulse wave velocity and plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein subfraction HDL3, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein (a). There were no group/sex interactions. A significant dyslipidemia was observed in 13 males of the 53 borderline hypertensive subjects. Only in this subgroup did subjects exhibit a strong positive relationship between pulse wave velocity and either plasma total cholesterol or apolipoprotein B. The correlation was observed even after adjustment for blood pressure. The study provides evidence that, in young males with borderline hypertension, some abnormalities of plasma lipoproteins requiring treatment may be present and are associated with an increased stiffness of the arterial wall.