Association between HIV infection and attenuated diurnal blood pressure rhythm in untreated hypertensive individuals*

Objective

Hypertensive cardiovascular complications are more closely associated with ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), particularly the attenuated diurnal blood pressure (BP) rhythm (i.e. a fall in systolic blood pressure <10% during the night compared with the day), than with casual BP. The aim of the study was to assess the ABP pattern in an HIV‐infected cohort in which hypertension was newly diagnosed.

Methods

ABP over 24 h was compared between 77 newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensive HIV‐positive individuals and 76 HIV‐uninfected untreated hypertensive controls.

Results

More HIV‐infected subjects had an attenuated ABP rhythm with a reduced nocturnal fall than HIV‐negative hypertensive control subjects (60 vs. 33%, respectively; P=0.001). The dipping pattern was observed despite newly diagnosed hypertension, a low prevalence of microalbuminuria, and the absence of signs of overt kidney disease. Furthermore, the prevalence of nondipping in the HIV‐infected subjects was independent of combination antiretroviral treatment. Multiple logistic regression analysis with dipping pattern as the dependent variable showed that HIV status was an independent predictor of nondipping BP [P=0.002; odds ratio (OR) 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17–0.66]; casual SBP (P=0.37; OR 1.001; 95% CI 0.99–1.04) and microalbuminuria (P=0.39; OR 1.56; 95% CI 0.57–4.28) were not associated with dipping pattern.

Conclusions

The prevalence of a nondipping BP pattern in HIV‐infected subjects with newly diagnosed hypertension who had not received antihypertensive treatment was high and significantly greater than in hypertensive control subjects.