New-onset hypertension is not associated with systemic changes in inflammatory cytokine levels

Introduction Recent studies have suggested that hypertension develop�ment may be associated with an altered immune system. However, there is a paucity of data evaluating the association between blood pressure values and inflammatory markers in patients with new-onset hypertension. Material and methods We evaluated 61 subjects, including 24 healthy indi�viduals and 37 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients (aged 45 ±9.6 vs. 43.8 ±11.9 years; SBP_24hours 114 ±7.1 vs. 134.2 ±9.5 mm Hg; DBP_24hours 71.2 ±4.7 vs. 85.8 ±9.3 mm Hg, respectively) without prior antihypertensive treatment. The diagnosis of hypertension was based on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We analysed the association between blood pressure values and levels of individual inflammatory markers (ITAC, GM-CSF, fractalkine, IFN-g, IL-10, MIP-3a, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-21, IL-23, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, MIP-1a, MIP-1b, TNF-a, and IL-15) sepa�rately, as well as in clusters of inflammatory mediators (factor 1 – proin�flammatory: IL-1β, IL2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-12, IL-6, IL-21, TNF-α, IFN-γ; and factor 2 – anti-inflammatory: IL-13, IL-5). Results Our study did not show any differences in concentrations of inflam�matory markers between patients and controls. Plasma levels of inflamma�tory markers were not associated with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure values in patients with new-onset hypertension. Conclusions Patients with new-onset hypertension did not differ from healthy subjects regarding the levels of plasma inflammatory markers. Our findings demonstrate the need for larger, more comprehensive studies on this topic to further elucidate the relationship between hypertension and inflammation.