Effect of Antihypertensive Therapy on Serum Lipids in Newly Diagnosed Essential Hypertensive Men

alone. Recent guidelines have emphasized the importance of correcting dyslipidemia along with lowering arterial pressure to reduce cardiovascular risk in these patients.5 Antihypertensive agents are reported to exhibit a wide range of effects on lipid metabolism. Some drugs adversely affect the serum lipids, whereas oth-ers have a favorable effect. Previous studies have reported that diuretics and β-blockers negatively affect serum lipid levels.6,7 Hernandez et al8 have reported calcium antagonists, especially the highly lipophilic amlodipine to possess antioxidant proper-ties, reducing the oxidation of LDL and its influx into the arterial wall, their by reducing atheroscle-rotic lesions in animals. Pinilla et al9 as well as Libretti and Catalano10 have reported that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril reduces total cholesterol (TC), TGs, and LDL-C. Youssef et al11 reported that enalapril increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), whereas Libretti and Catalano10 did not find any change in HDL-C after enalapril treatment. Other stud-ies have reported ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers to have neutral effects on lipid metabolism.12,1