The Relation between the Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Egyptian Patients with Essential Hypertension

Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) has been shown to reflect systemic atherosclerotic complications. In atherosclerotic disorders, the circulating level of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to be increased to compensate for its decline in tissues due to endothelial dysfunction, as in cases of essential hypertension. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the serum HGF and carotid IMT in Egyptian hypertensive and non hypertensive subjects. The study revealed a highly significant increase in serum HGF and IMT in hypertensive patients compared with non hypertensive subjects (p 0.001 ). There was a significant positive correlation between the carotid IMT and the mean duration of hypertension, systolic diastolic blood pressure, smoking, age, sex, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low density Iipoprotein and serum HGF, with significant negative correlation with serum high density lipoprotein in hypertensive patients. In hypertensive patients, there was a significant positive correlation between serum HGF and age, sex, mean duration of hypertension, systolic diastolic blood pressure, smoking, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low density lipoprotein and IMT, with a significant negative correlation with serum high density lipoprotein. Angiotensine converting enzyme inhibitors are recommended to be used in the treatment of hypertension as they improve endothelial dysfunction by stimulating the local production of hepatocyte growth factor leading to inhibition of neointimal formation.