title: [Who are the "non-dippers": an insight from the ambulatory monitoring of arterial pressure in heart transplant patients].
abstract: This study was performed in order to define who are the "non-dippers", knowing that their present definition does not imply any explanation about the mechanisms. The investigation was performed on 34 heart transplanted patients, 28 males (mean age 52 +/- 11 years) and 6 women (mean age 35 +/- 14 years), knowing that the "non-dippers" were described as the hypertensives who are devoid of the expected nocturnal fall in blood pressure (BP). The "non-dipping" phenomenon was investigated by exploring the BP 24-h pattern via ambulatory non-invasive BP monitoring, and by applying the rhythmometric analysis for quantifying the BP circadian rhythm. The study provided evidence that the "non-dippers" can be found among the hypertensives as well as the normotensives, suggesting that high BP is not a necessary condition for the "non-dipping" phenomenon, and vice versa. Both the normotensive and hypertensive "non-dippers" were seen to show stereotypic changes in BP circadian rhythm. There are normotensive and hypertensive "non-dippers" with or without the BP circadian rhythm. The "rhythmic non-dippers" show a BP circadian rhythm which is inverted in phase or demodulated in amplitude. The "non-dippers" are, thus, a heterogeneous category.
authors.affiliation: Semeiotica e Metodologia Medica, Università La Sapienza, Roma.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cugini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiera
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scibilia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laurenti
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Papalia
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Voci
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Petrangeli
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Capodaglio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ranone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schiavone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis
vernacular_title: Chi sono i "non-dipper": un approfondimento dal monitoraggio ambulatorio della pressione arteriosa nei cardiotrapiantati.