Plasma cholesterol is involved in the setting of resting blood pressure: a study in hypercholesterolemic young subjects and in monozygotic twins.

Abstract Coincidence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia is frequently reported, but so far, the nature of this association remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study comprising 487 subjects (2–18 years old) and 19 pairs of monozygotic twins, significant correlations were found between non-HDL-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (SBP; r =0.24; p r =0.19; p p =0.029). In conclusion, this study adds up evidence for the existence of a direct independent association between plasma cholesterol and blood pressure.