Study MIPAE - Melatonin and Essential Arterial Hypertension

Study MIPAE - Melatonin and essential arterial hypertension. Study with dietary supplement, prospective and monocentric (randomized control trial). 1 mg/day of melatonin has been administered for one year to a group of patients suffering from essential hypertension (from at least one year) and who are already on antihypertensive therapy. This group has been compared with as many hypertensive patients on antihypertensive therapy to whom melatonin has not been administered. Each of the participants have been evaluated at the beginning of the study and after one year considering: * systolic and diastolic blood pressure; * echocardiographic values (Vivid Q, GE Healthcare); * applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor, AtCor Medical); * peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT-2000, Itamar); * melatonin levels and total circulating antioxidant capacity after peripheral venous blood sampling. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant and vasoprotective effects of melatonin, evaluating both plasma changes and directly studying the possibility of a real remodeling and improvement of cardiac structures.