Ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure monitoring in patients with resistant hypertension

The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of 24-hour blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) monitoring in patients with "resistant" hypertension. 30 patients (44.1 +/- 9.9 years) with diastolic BP 100 mm Hg or more in spite of treatment with three or more antihypertensive drugs were studied. Ambulatory recording of BP and HR was performed by means of Del Mar Avionics monitoring system 9000. Mean recording time was 21.5 hours and mean number of measurements during one recording--56.7. Mean ambulatory systolic and diastolic BP values were significantly lower than mean value of three casual measurements (146.0 +/- 24.6 vs 171.5 +/- 21.2 mm Hg for systolic and 97.2 +/- 11.3 vs 110.4 +/- 7.5 mm Hg for diastolic BP p less than 0.01) In 14 (46.6%) systolic BP and in 10 patients (33.3%) diastolic BP were normal. The patients with normal and abnormal ambulatory BP recordings did not differ in regard to age and mean clinic BP levels. However, patients with abnormal ambulatory BP recordings were more often overweight and showed a greater frequency of left ventricular hypertrophy and family history of hypertension and its complications. The results of the study show that ambulatory BP monitoring may be of value in assessing the response to antihypertensive treatment in patients with so called resistant hypertension as judged on the basis of clinic pressure.     

Appropriate time interval to repeat ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with white-coat resistant hypertension

Resistant hypertension is defined as uncontrolled office blood pressure, despite the use of ≥3 antihypertensive drugs. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is mandatory to diagnose 2 different groups, those with true and white-coat resistant hypertension. Patients are found to change categories between controlled/uncontrolled ambulatory pressures without changing their office blood pressures. In this way, ABPM should be periodically repeated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the most appropriate time interval to repeat ABPM to assure sustained blood pressure control in patients with white-coat resistant hypertension. This prospective study enrolled 198 patients (69% women; mean age: 68.9±9.9 years) diagnosed as white-coat resistant hypertension on ABPM. Patients were submitted to a second confirmatory examination 3 months later and repeated twice at 6-month intervals. Statistical analyses included Bland-Altman repeatability coefficients and multivariate logistic regression. Mean office blood pressure was 163±20/84±17 mm Hg, and mean 24-hour blood pressure was 118±8/66±7 mm Hg. White-coat resistant hypertension diagnosis presented a moderate reproducibility and was confirmed in 144 patients after 3 months. In the third and fourth ABPMs, 74% and 79% of patients sustained the diagnosis. In multivariate regression, a daytime systolic blood pressure ≤115 mm Hg in the confirmatory ABPM triplicated the chance of white-coat resistant hypertension status persistence after 1 year. In conclusion, a confirmatory ABPM is necessary after 3 months of the first white-coat-resistant hypertension diagnosis, and the procedure should be repeated at 6-month intervals, except in patients with daytime systolic blood pressure ≤115 mm Hg, in whom it may be repeated annually.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012; 14:611–617. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The role of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) has not been well‐studied in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension. In a retrospective study of the outpatient chronic kidney disease population, 156 patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension who had 24‐hour ABPM and clinic BP measurements were identified. Resistant hypertension was defined as uncontrolled clinic BP while taking ≥3 medications including a diuretic or controlled BP while taking ≥4 medications. Within the study group, ambulatory BP <130/80 mm Hg was found in 35.9% of all patients. Only 6.4% had both ambulatory and clinic BP <130/80 mm Hg. Prevalence of white‐coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and sustained hypertension were 29.5%, 5.8%, and 58.3%, respectively. Compared with patients with sustained hypertension, more patients in the white‐coat hypertension group had low nocturnal average systolic BP (defined as nocturnal average systolic BP <100 mm Hg) (17.4% vs 0%) and low 24‐hour average diastolic BP (defined as 24‐hour average diastolic BP <60 mm Hg) (52.2% vs 22%, P<.01). ABPM provides more reliable assessment of BP in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension.     

继发性高血压24小时动态血压研究

目的研究继发性高血压（ＳＨ）２４小时动态血压变化。方法应用美国Ｓｐａｃｅｌａｂｓ９０２０７动态血压监测仪观察了８０例ＳＨ２４小时动态血压并与年龄、性别相配对的８０例高血压病（ＥＨ）患者进行比较。结果ＳＨ患２４小时血压节律与ＥＨ患者不同,ＳＨ患者夜间血压下降不明显,夜间血压明显高于ＥＨ患者（Ｐ＜００１）;ＳＨ患者夜间血压负荷在６０％左右,而ＥＨ患者夜间血压负荷则在１５％左右;ＳＨ患者与ＥＨ患者２４小时血压曲线：白昼（６：００～２２：００）曲线呈重叠、交叉状态,而夜间（２２：００～６：００）曲线呈分离状态,ＥＨ夜间曲线段明显降低。ＳＨ组非杓型明显多于ＥＴ组（Ｐ＜００１）。ＳＨ患者夜间血压／日间血压的比值大于９０％的例数明显多于ＥＨ患者。结论２４小时动态血压监测显示夜间血压下降不明显,夜间血压负荷在５０％以上,呈非杓型,夜间血压／日间血压的比值大于９０％,提示有ＳＨ可能,应作进一步检查。     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and borderline hypertension.

Blood pressure fluctuates during daytime hours in response to changes in activities and to daily life stressors. Lifestyle factors may influence changes in blood pressure through a modulation of the sympathetic nervous system s activity, which is often elevated in subjects with borderline hypertension. In the HARVEST smoking, consumption of coffee, intake of alcohol, physical activity habits, and use of oral contraceptives influenced daytime blood pressure to a greater extent than did office blood pressure and had an effect on sympathetic tone (determined by measuring levels of urinary catecholamines). Subjects with borderline hypertension have a greater than normal risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but few data on the relation between ambulatory blood pressure and hypertensive complications during the early stage of hypertension are available. In the HARVEST the impact of ambulatory blood pressure on the walls of the left ventricle and on left ventricular mass in women was remarkable, whereas it was weak for men. The assessment of left ventricular systolic function confirmed that ejective performance in many young borderline hypertensive subjects is greater than normal. However, in 9.2% of the HARVEST participants left ventricular contractility evaluated by midwall measurement was found to be depressed. Although the prevalence of microalbuminuria (rate of excretion of urinary albumin > or = 30mg/24h) appeared to be low (6.1%), rate of excretion of albumin was highly statistically significantly correlated to 24h blood pressure. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is useful for identifying those borderline hypertensive subjects for whom antihypertensive treatment should be started.     

Clinical characteristics of resistant hypertension evaluated by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Strict control of blood pressure is important to prevent cardiovascular disease, although it is sometimes difficult to decrease blood pressure to target levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of resistant hypertension evaluated by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. One hundred in-hospital patients, whose 24-hour average blood pressure was higher than 130/80?mmHg even after treatment with more than three antihypertensive drugs, were included in the present analysis. Circadian variation of blood pressure was evaluated by nocturnal fall in systolic blood pressure. Average blood pressures of all patients were high in both daytime and nighttime, 150.0/82.9 and 143.8/78.2?mmHg, respectively. Twenty patients had been treated with hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. In 63 patients out of the other 80 patients (79%), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was also decreased (<60?mL/min/1.73 m²). The patients classified into dipper, non-dipper, riser and extreme-dipper were 20%, 43%, 34% and 3%, respectively. In addition, in 17 patients whose eGFR was preserved, 12 patients showed a non-dipper or riser pattern, suggesting that it was difficult to account for this altered circadian blood pressure variation only by renal dysfunction. These results show that a large number of the patients with resistant hypertension suffered from renal dysfunction, although it was difficult to explain altered circadian blood pressure variation based on renal dysfunction alone.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical practice

Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring has become increasingly more available in routine clinical practice in Canada. The ABP is more reliable and more reproducible than office readings, and is a better predictor of target organ damage. Normal values for ABP have been established using both cross-sectional and longitudinal outcome data. Abnormal mean 24 h and awake ABP values should exceed 135/85 mmHg and 140/90 mmHg, respectively. ABP recordings are useful in making a diagnosis of hypertension by identifying people with high office but normal ABP values. ABP monitoring can also be performed in patients already receiving antihypertensive therapy to determine the extent of any white coat effect that may be increasing office readings. The interpretation of the ABP should take into account cardiac risk factors, any target organ damage that may be present or coexisting conditions such as diabetes mellitus.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical practice

Being one of the most widely prevalent diseases throughout the world, hypertension has emerged as one of the leading causes of global premature morbidity and mortality. Hence, blood pressure (BP) measurements are essential for physicians in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines recommend initiating antihypertensive medications on the basis of office BP readings. However, office BP readings provide a snapshot evaluation of the patient's BP, which might not reflect patient's true BP, with the possibility of being falsely elevated or falsely low. Recently, there is ample evidence to show that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a better predictor of major cardiovascular events than BP measurements at clinic settings. ABPM helps in reducing the number of possible false readings, along with the added benefit of understanding the dynamic variability of BP. This article will focus on the significance of ambulatory BP, its advantages and limitations compared with the standard office BP measurement and a brief outlook on its use and interpretation to diagnose and treat hypertension.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical trials

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is increasingly being used in clinical trials. Trials with ambulatory monitoring, just like clinical experiments based on conventional sphygmomanometry, need to be controlled properly, because ambulatory blood pressure measurements are not completely devoid of placebo-like effects. The trough: peak ratio might be a useful instrument for assessment of the durations of action of antihypertensive drugs. However, its error term and confidence interval need to be reported and its determination in clinical trials requires further standardization. Ambulatory compared with conventional blood pressure measurements are characterized by a higher reproducibility. This property makes a reduction in sample size possible in cross-over but not in parallel group trials, if instead of the conventional blood pressure the 24 h or daytime blood pressures are compared. Trials focusing on the full course of the blood pressure through the day need a larger sample size than do those just concerning the conventional blood pressure level.     

H型高血压患者动态血压的特点

目的:分析H型高血压患者动态血压的表现及特点。方法:连续入选自2010年1月至2013年3月,于我院住院的高血压患者,根据血清同型半胱氨酸(Hcy)水平将患者分为非H型高血压组(Hcy10μmol/L,A组)和H型高血压组(Hcy≥10μmol/L,B组),其中B组患者又分为B1组(Hcy20μmol/L)和B2组(Hcy≥20μmol/L)。所有患者均接受动态血压监测,对比分析两种类型高血压患者动态血压的特点。结果:本研究共入选高血压患者242例,其中H型高血压组(B组)患者136例(56.2%)。与非H型高血压患者相比,H型高血压患者动态血压,表现为非勺型和反勺型者均明显增多(非勺型:75.7%vs.34.9%,P0.001;反勺型:33.1%vs.18.9%,P=0.017),晨峰血压水平明显升高[(169±10)vs.(160±7)mmHg(1mmHg=0.133kPa),P=0.036]。进一步亚组分析显示,B2组患者反勺型血压明显高于B1组(43.8%vs.23.6%,P=0.013),晨峰血压水平也明显高于B1组[(174±9)vs.(166±9)mmHg,P=0.042]。结论:与非H型高血压患者相比,H型高血压患者的动态血压表现为非勺型及反勺型者明显增多,晨峰血压明显增高。     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical practice.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring provides a more reliable estimate of blood pressure and its diurnal variability than casual blood pressure measurement. However, the data supporting the link between cardiovascular risk and blood pressure are based almost entirely on casual, or office-based, blood pressure readings, and this form of measurement continues to be the primary factor in clinical decision making. In recent years, compelling evidence from research centers around the world has shown that ambulatory blood pressure measurements correlate more closely with the target organ complications of hypertension and predictions of future cardiovascular events than either casual office or home blood pressure measurements. Improvements in the technology have resulted in ambulatory blood pressure monitors that are increasingly accurate and unobtrusive. As evidence supporting its use continues to mount, the role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical medicine can be expected to increase significantly.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is becoming widely accepted as a clinically useful tool for assessing cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients, although it is not generally recognized for reimbursement in the United States. There are now six major prospective studies, all of which have shown that ABPM gives a better prediction of risk than conventional clinic measurement. A corollary of these findings is that patients with white coat hypertension have been found to be at relatively low risk. The major clinical indications include patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, suspected white coat hypertension, and refractory hypertension. White coat hypertension is common during pregnancy and may lead to unnecessary cesarean sections.     

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is becoming widely accepted as a clinically useful tool for assessing cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients, although it is not generally recognized for reimbursement in the United States. There are now six major prospective studies, all of which have shown that ABPM gives a better prediction of risk than conventional clinic measurement. A corollary of these findings is that patients with white coat hypertension have been found to be at relatively low risk. The major clinical indications include patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, suspected white coat hypertension, and refractory hypertension. White coat hypertension is common during pregnancy and may lead to unnecessary cesarean sections.