Assessment of Inflammatory Markers among Hypertensive Women in a Nigerian Population

Objectives Essential hypertension (HTN), a leading cause of preventable death and disability worldwide, remains a major global risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The study assessed the inflammatory markers of hypertensive women in a Nigerian population. Materials and Methods Two hundred individuals were recruited for this study comprising 80 hypertensive women on treatment, 50 newly diagnosed hypertensive women, and 70 non-hypertensive women (control). Human interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) as inflammatory markers were analyzed using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Results The results showed that IFN-γ and TGF-β1 were significantly higher in hypertensive subjects compared with control ( P < 0.05). IFN-γ and TGF-β1 were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in hypertensive drug naïve subjects compared with subjects on antihypertensive drugs. Combined use of amlodipine/lisinopril, lisinopril/metoprolol resulted in significant decrease ( P < 0.05) in IFN-γ and TGF-β1 compared with hypertensive patients who used amlodipine and lisinopril alone. There was significant increase ( P < 0.05) in IFN-γ and TGF-β1 in age group 51–65 years compared with age group 20–35 years, but there was no significant difference ( P > 0.05) in both parameters studied with respect to duration of illness. Conclusion The study concluded that hypertensive subjects undergo inflammation marked by increase in inflammatory markers despite the possible mitigating effect of their antihypertensive medication. Therefore, management of HTN in addition to use of antihypertensive drugs should focus on lifestyle modification, Dietary Approaches to Stop HTN, and increased physical activity .