RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY-MASS INDEX (BMI) AND CHANGES IN PLASMA TOTAL AND HDL-CHOLESTEROL LEVELS DURING TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN AFRICAN PATIENTS

Eighty-one adult Nigerians with essential hypertension were randomly a llocated to receive doxazosin, hydrochlorothiazide/amloride, or amlodi pine. In each group, the patients were further classified as obese and non-obese, and total cholesterol as well as high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was determined before and after the 3-month treatmen t period. The total cholesterol level was significantly reduced in the non-obese patients, but did not show any significant change in the ob ese patients after doxazosin therapy, indicating the beneficial effect s of doxazosin therapy in non-obese patients. The levels of total chol esterol increased and HDL cholesterol decreased in both the obese and the non-obese patients after hydrochlorothiazide/amloride therapy. Aml odipine treatment did not cause any significant change in the total an d HDL cholesterol levels in both the obese and non-obese patients, The se findings are worthy of consideration by clinicians and researchers when selecting the most appropriate drug for antihypertensive pharmaco therapy.