RESUMEN
Background: Cholesterol lowering drugs are very widely used among patients with hypertension in order to prevent atherosclerosis and death. However several other changes are produced in such patients as a result of inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. Therefore in this preliminary study we evaluated the intima/media thickness in hypertensive subjects. Material and methods: Cross section study in 20 hypertensive subjects on statins for more than an year and 20 hypertensives who were not on statins were studied. Twenty normal non hypertensive individuals were control subjects.Their Common carotid artery (CCA) was ultrasonologically examined and the Intima – Media thickness were determined. Results: The Intima - Media thickness in Hypertensive subjects were significantly higher than those of control groupand also those hypertensive patients who were administered with statins (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference among the controls and statin administered patients. Further there was no gender difference in the results. Conclusion: Hypertensive subjects who were on statin for more than an year have significantly reduced arterial wall thickness. Undesirable side effects of such thinning of vessel wall, which might result in aneurysmal dilatations, should be kept in mind especially while treating elderly hypertensive with HMG CoA reductase inhibitors.