[The use of ambulatory pressure monitoring for evaluating antihypertensive treatment in clinical practice].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical experience of our Centre in the assessment of antihypertensive therapy with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).


METHODS
We retrospectively studied all the 241 out-patients on antihypertensive therapy submitted to ABPM (SpaceLabs 90207, USA) between March 1992 and March 1993 for clinical purposes. We evaluated: 1) the clinical indications for the test; 2) the modifications of drug treatment suggested by the ABPM results; 3) the referring physicians' acceptance of these suggestions; 4) the changes of office BP measured before and 3-6 months after ABPM.


RESULTS
1) The indications for ABPM were: resistant or poorly controlled hypertension (n = 170-71%); suspected "white coat effect" (n = 51-21%); assessment of symptoms (n = 20-8%). 2) The analysis of ABPM suggested to modify drug treatment in 51% of the patients; a "white-coat effect" was found in 18% of the patients. 3) The ABPM suggestions about treatment were accepted by the referring physicians in 89% of the patients. 4) Office BP decreased from 163 +/- 18/99 +/- 9 mm Hg (before ABPM) to 151 +/- 13/91 +/- 7 (3-6 months after ABPM), (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of ABPM in our Centre, which is based on specific clinical indications, provided indications to modify the drug treatment in a high percentage of patients.
Fortini
A
A
Centro per lo studio dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa, Medicina Interna I, Ospedale Nuovo San Giovanni di Dio, Firenze.
Laureano
R
R
Nenci
G
G
Cappelletti
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
Impiego del monitoraggio pressorio ambulatoriale per la valutazione del trattamento antipertensivo nella pratica clinica.