THE IMPACT OF LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS ON THE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION

Objective: To analyze the impact of LDL cholesterol levels on the severity of depressive disorders in patients with essential hypertension. Design and method: The study included 111 male and female patients with grades I–III arterial hypertension (AH) according to ESH classification (2023). The average age of the patients was 54.6±10.8 years, and the mean duration of hypertension was 8.8±5.52 years. The patients were divided into two groups based on their LDL cholesterol levels: Group 1: Patients with LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dl (n=39), Group 2: Patients with LDL cholesterol more than 100 mg/dl (n=72). Depression levels were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results are presented as M±SD. Results: Data analysis revealed that depression was more pronounced in patients from Group 2 with elevated LDL cholesterol levels compared to patients from Group 1 with normal LDL cholesterol levels. Specifically, the HADS scores were as follows: Group 2: 8.46±1.74 versus Group 1: 4.55±3.07 (p<0.0001). Conclusions: High LDL cholesterol levels are associated with more pronounced depressive symptoms, suggesting a potential link between lipid imbalance and psycho-emotional disorders.