title: Study of serum insulin levels in patients of euglycemic essential hypertension: a cross sectional study in North Indian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Essential hypertension is associated with multiple metabolic abnormalities, among them one of the most important is hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia has been suggested as being responsible for the increased arterial pressure in patients with essential hypertension. But this is contradicted by the finding that all patients of essential hypertension are not hyperinsulinemic. The present study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that hyperinsulinemia plays a pathogenic role in hypertension in euglycemic North Indian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  120 subjects were studied (60 hypertensive and 60 normotensive). Blood pressure, fasting insulin levels, lipid profile and BMI were calculated for both the groups. Statistical analysis was done using online statistical software freely at www.openepi.com.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypertensive subjects were characterized by increased fasting insulin levels (16.77±7.62 vs. 8.84±2.04μIU/ml, p<0.01), increased BMI (p<0.01) and dyslipidemia, i.e. increased total cholesterol, high serum triglycerides, high LDL-C and low HDL-C with p<0.01. There was a positive correlation of fasting insulin levels with BMI, total cholesterol and LDL-C (p<0.01) and a negative correlation with HDL-C (p<0.05). However, serum insulin levels showed a non significant correlation with mean systolic and mean diastolic blood pressure (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed a significant increase in serum insulin levels in hypertensive patients thereby supporting a possible pathogenic role of insulin resistance in onset of hypertension even when the fasting blood sugar is within normal limits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: dr.ritikagoyal07@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Ritika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singla
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goyal
authors.forename: Gurdeep K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Bedi
authors.forename: Harbir K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D006946:Hyperinsulinism / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Body mass index (BMI); Essential hypertension (HT); Hyperinsulinemia; Insulin resistance (IR); Lipid profile