Effect of Atorvastation on Endothelium-dependent Vasodilatation Function in in Essential Hypertension

Objective To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation function in essential hypertension (EH). Methods One hundred thirty seven patients with EH were divided randomly into two groups: conventional therapeutic group and atorvastatin therapeutic(antihypertensive therapy+atorvastatin 10 mg Qd for 12 weeks) group. The levels of blood C-reaction protein (CRP), plasma endothelin-1 and fibrinogen (FIB) were measured before and 12 weeks after treatment. Vascular endothelial function was assessed in the brachial artery by flow-mediated dilatation during reactive hyperemia and after sublingual glyceryl trinitrate using high-resolution ultrasound technique. Results Compared with conventional group in atorvastatin after treatment, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD:7.95±0.87 vs 5.20±0.82, P0.05) and GTN(12.1%±5.11% vs 10.38%±5.10%, P0.05) were greatly enhanced, while the CRP[(3.14±0.53 vs 7.42±0.42)mg/L, P0.05], ET-1 [(3.41±1.94 vs 4.51±2.70)ng/L, P0.05] and Fibrinogen [(236±103 vs 402±112)mg/L, P0.05] were decreased. Conclusion Adding atorvastatin on conventional antihypertensive therapy further more improves vascular endothelial function, plasminogen activator and inflammation in patients with EH.