Objectives: To clarify the relationship between serum leptin level and arterial blood
pressure (ABP) and lipid profile in obese and non-obese male subjects. Methods: The
present study was performed in Beni Suef University, Faculty of medicine between
December 2007 and December 2008. Fasting serum leptin level, arterial blood
pressure, lipid profile, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were
measured in 10 lean normotensive (LN), 10 obese normotensive (ON), 10 lean
hypertensive (LH) and 10 obese hypertensive males (OH). Results: In the present
study, serum leptin, BMI, and WC were significantly elevated in obese subjects than
in lean subjects whether normotensive or hypertensive (P < 0.001). In lean groups,
serum leptin level was significantly higher in hypertensive than in normotensive
persons (P < 0.001). In all studied subjects, mean ABP was significantly related to
serum leptin. In obese groups, and in lean groups, serum leptin was positively
correlated with mean ABP and all measured lipid profile parameters except high
density lipoprotein (HDL) to which it was negatively correlated. Serum leptin was
positively correlated with WC in obese normotensive group, (r =0.657) ( p= 0.039 ),
but it was positively correlated with BMI in obese hypertensive group (r =0.675) (
p=.032). Conclusion: This study suggested that hyperleptinemia may play a role in
the pathophysiology of hypertension independently of adiposity and the most
correlated parameter to mean ABP among the measured parameters was serum
leptin.