title: Ambulatory blood pressure and prognosis.
abstract: PROGNOSTIC INFORMATION: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring provides three kinds of information, all of which might have prognostic significance: blood pressure level, amplitude of diurnal variation and short-term variability. BLOOD PRESSURE LEVEL: Existing data support the hypothesis that patients whose ambulatory blood pressure is low in comparison with clinic blood pressure (white-coat hypertension) have a relatively low risk of morbidity. AMPLITUDE OF DIURNAL RHYTHM OF BLOOD PRESSURE: While there is limited support for the hypothesis that patients with small diurnal variations may carry a higher risk (particularly women), opposing hypotheses are also plausible. SHORT-TERM BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY: It is hypothesized that increased variability will be associated with increased morbidity. Preliminary data from the Cornell prospective study are consistent with this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Center, New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center, NY 10021.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Pickering
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis