Association between Alpha-1-Antitrypsin and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Hypertensive Patients Attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: This study evaluated the association between alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) and inflammatory biomarkers among hypertensive patients attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Study Design: Analytical cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, January–June 2026. Methodology: A total of 140 adults aged 30–70 years were recruited, comprising 70 hypertensive participants and 70 non-hypertensive controls. Five millilitres of whole blood were collected, and serum AAT, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Statistical analyses included between-group comparisons, correlation analysis and regression modelling, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: TNF-α was significantly higher in hypertensive participants than in controls (37.2 ± 7.50 vs 20.0 ± 13.2 pg/mL; p < 0.0001), whereas AAT was lower (5.6 ± 0.90 vs 6.5 ± 1.20 U/L; p < 0.0001). IL-6 was also slightly lower in the hypertensive group (36.1 ± 3.80 vs 38.2 ± 7.30 pg/mL; p = 0.0359). Among hypertensive participants, AAT correlated   positively with TNF-α (r = 0.26; p = 0.0299) and duration of hypertension (r = 0.24; p = 0.0469). In controls, AAT correlated positively with IL-6 (r = 0.32; p = 0.0068). AAT was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure in the regression model. Conclusion: AAT levels and inflammatory biomarkers differed between hypertensive and non-hypertensive participants, with group-specific associations observed between AAT and inflammatory indices.