Objectives: In the population of young hypertensive adults the presence of coexisting cardiovascular risk factors and early symptoms of atherosclerosis, including common carotid artery intima–media thickness (cIMT) should be estimated.

Methods: In the study group there were 37 patients, age 21,2±2,7 years, with not already treated essential hypertension (EH). Secondary hypertension was excluded. We evaluated anthropometrical data, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), fasting serum lipids and glucose. The measurement of cIMT was done using B-mode ultrasonography. The control group consisted of 35 healthy individuals, age 22,3±2,2 years.

Results: In young hypertensive adults we observed significantly higher values of body mass index (27,27±8,39 kg/m² vs 21,47±1,80 kg/m²), total cholesterol (4,61±1,04 vs 4,30±0,67 mmol/l, LDL-cholesterol (2,87±0,89 vs 2,45±0,63 mmol/l), triglycerides (1,29±0,98 vs 0,80±0,40 mmol/l), fasting glucose (4,94±0,42 vs 4,62±0,43 mmol/l), lower HDL-cholesterol (1,28±0,28 vs 1,57±0,33 mmol/l). In this study we noticed higher values of cIMT in patients with EH: they equal 0,05±0,01 cm in the right and left common carotid arteries (CCA), whereas in healthy subjects the value of cIMT in both CCA was 0,04±0,01 cm.

Conclusions: 1. Higher values of cIMT and some classical cardiovascular risk factors are present in the population of young hypertensive adults. 2.The progression of atherosclerosis in vessels of young patients with EH should be estimated using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound and describing the parameter of cIMT.