Background: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical course of essential hypertension between tobacco smokers and non-smokers.
Material and methods: 64 health service workers with essential hypertension were studied. The assessment consisted of anamnesis, physical examination, fundoscopic examination, ECG, echocardiography, routine laboratory investigations including lipid status, fasting insulin level, and urine analysis for microproteinuria. The efficacy of antihypertensive therapy was also evaluated. The period of observation was 18 months. Both subgroups were compared using the unpaired Student’s t-test.
Results: The subgroups did not differ significantly in sex structure (70% dominance of women), body mass index, BP values, or the duration of hypertension. The smokers were significantly younger, which points to the earlier origin of the disease in smokers (at the age of 42.1±11.0 years vs 50.8±8.5 years; p

Keywords: essential hypertension, tobacco smoking, lipid disorders