Relationship of homocysteine and essential hypertension in civil aviation pilots

  AIM  To study levels of homocysteine and blood lipids in patients with essential hypertension. To investigate the relationship between homocysteine and hypertension. To analyze the correlation between serum lipids and homocysteine.

  METHODS  28 healthy patients were placed in a control group and 38 hypertensive patients were placed in a hypertension group. The hypertension group was divided into a lipid- regulating therapy group (20 cases) and a non-lipid-regulating therapy group (18 cases). Homocysteine, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B were measured.

  RESULTS  Compared with the control group, homocysteine levels in the hypertension group increased significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the non-lipid-regulating group, total cholesterol, low densitylipoprotein and apolipoprotein B were significantly decreased (P < 0.05); however, homocysteine levels were not significantly decreased in the lipid regulating group; Correlation analysis of Pearson showed that homocysteine was not related to the blood lipid index in the lipid regulating group.

  CONCLUSION  Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor in essential hypertension. Homocysteine is not correlated with total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. Lipid-regulating therapy does not improve plasma homocysteine levels.