Upregulation of Interleukin-2 Among Hypertensive Subjects in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Hypertension is a killer disease that increases with age. Several inflammatory biomarkers have been associated with hypertension. However conflicting reports exist on the relationship of interleukin-2 with hypertension. The objective of the present study was to determine the association of hypertension with interleukin-2 (IL-2) as well as the distribution of blood pressure among adults in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Randomly selected 270 adults were screened for hypertension using Andon blood pressure monitor and real time PCR was used to quantify IL-2 gene expression. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information. A normal systolic and diastolic blood pressure distribution was found. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 123.69±22.65 and 77.60±13.53 mmHg respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 47.4% (isolated systolic hypertension, 10.4%; isolated diastolic hypertension, 4.4%; co-occurring systolic and diastolic hypertension, 32.6%). Exactly 71.09% of hypertensive subjects were unaware that they were hypertensive. Age related increase in hypertension was found. Compared with normal control, a significant upregulation in IL-2 gene expression was found among hypertensive subjects (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study showed that a high prevalence of hypertension and low hypertensive status awareness exist in rural areas in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It also showed that hypertension is associated with a significant upregulation in IL-2 gene expression. Hypertension interventions to rural areas and the use of IL-2 as a target biomarker for novel antihypertensive drug design is implicated in the present study. Keywords: [Hypertension, interleukin-2, rural areas, Bayelsa State, Nigeria]