**2.1. Patients**

In our study 107 patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension were examined. Repeated blood pressure (BP) examination confirmed an increased blood pressure more than 150 mmHg for systolic and more than 90 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure in all hypertensive patients. Average systolic blood pressure was 172 ±19 mmHg and average diastolic blood pressure was 102 ±10 mmHg. The group of hypertensive patients comprised 66 men and 41 women. The average age of the men was 50 ± 17.6 years and the average age of the women was 51.0 ± 13.4 years.

The control group consisted of 150 healthy normotensive and normolipemic volunteers, all non-smokers, without signs of cardiovascular disease and without biochemical signs of lipid metabolism disorders. The average age of the subjects was 21 years, and the control group involved 50 males and 100 females. Volunteers were recruited from medical students at the Medical Faculty, who gave written, informed consent, and the study was approved by the local ethics committee.

### **2.2. Methods**

A blood sample from an antecubital vein was obtained in the morning after a 12-hour fasting period. Total cholesterol and triglycerides in serum were analyzed from lipid parameters, using the enzymatic CHOD-PAP method, Roche Diagnostics Germany. To determine the nonatherogenic lipoprotein phenotype A and the atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype B, the Lipoprint LDL System Quantimetrix CA, USA, was used.

The Score of the Anti-Atherogenic Risk (SAAR) was calculated as the ratio between nonatherogenic and atherogenic lipoproteins in serum [42]. SAAR values over 10.8 represented a non-atherogenic lipoprotein profile, whereas values under 9.8 represented an atherogenic lipoprotein profile. The cut off values for a non-atherogenic lipoprotein profile and an atherogenic lipoprotein profile were calculated from the results of 940 Lipoprint LDL analyses. Using the Quantimetrix Lipoprint LDL system interpretation, all 940 individuals were examined (general group of subjects) and tested for the occurrence of atherogenic vs. nonatherogenic lipoprotein profile and were divided into the two subgroups of subjects with an LDL profile:


Statistical evaluation of obtained values was performed with an unpaired student's t-test. The level of significance was accepted at p < 0.05.
