RESUMEN
Blood platelets play an important role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension and hyperlipidemia is a common finding in hypertensive patients. To verify this, 30 male subjects were selected; 10 as a control group with their mean age [51.4 +/- 4.03], they are free from any disease, and 20 recently discovered male patients with essential hypertension with their mean age [52.2 +/- 4.26] years. All subjects were subjected to the following: Full history and meticulous examination, lipid profile study and platelet function tests. The results showed that there is a highly significant increase in platelet functions [aggregation, adhesiveness and platelet factor-3] in hypertensive patients compared to control subjects. A highly significant increase in the levels of total serum lipids, triglycerides, total serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, but a highly significant decrease in the level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol when compared to the normotensive control group. Also, there is a significant positive correlation between blood pressure levels, and markers of platelet activity indicating that platelet activity plays a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension and atherosclerosis. The results also showed a positive correlation between blood pressure level and triglycerides and also between platelet aggregation and triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Such a positive correlation between platelet markers and atherogenic LDL-cholesterol may be of pathogenic importance for atherogenesis in hypertension