Introduction. Hypertension increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases substantially. One of the most important risk factors for hypertension is obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders. Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the body composition of patients with arterial hypertension and to attempt to show a correlation between body composition and the lipid profile of blood serum. Material and methods. The study was conducted among the patients of the Hypertension Clinic at the Public Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw. It comprised 41 patients (including 20 women) with the mean age of 50 ± 18,6. The tests taken were: blood pressure, blood serum lipid profile, body composition and anthropometric measurements. Results. A definite majority of the subjects were overweight or obese (88% of subjects), had excessive relative adipose tissue content (95% of subjects) and presented with abdominal obesity (93% of subjects). There was abnormal total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride concentration among, respectively, 37%, 56%, 37% and 19% of the patients. Moreover, 44% of the subjects exhibited poor arterial pressure control. Conclusions. The abnormalities in the blood lipid profile that accompany increased body weight of patients with hypertension suggests that body mass reduction should be one of the main aims of treatment. It is advisable to initiate an educational program promoting the benefits of body mass reduction as an important factor in decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in hypertension patients.

Key words: hypertension, nutritional status, overweight, obesity, lipid profile.