Influence of diurnal blood pressure rhythm on aortic elastic properties in hypertensive subjects.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is a relationship between aortic elastic properties and diurnal blood pressure rhythm in hypertensive subjects.


RESULTS
This study included 41 hypertensive patients who were taking medical treatment and had undergone ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The patients were classified according to their night mean systolic blood pressure (Nm-SBP) fall. On the basis of Nm-SBP fall: 10 (24.4%) patients were dippers (with 10% but < 20% fall), 19 (46.3%) patients were nondippers (with 0% but <0% fall) and 12 (29.3%) patients were reverse dippers (with <0%). All subjects underwent echocardiographic examination. Internal aortic root diameters were measured at 3 cm above the aortic valve by the use of two-dimensional guided M-mode transthoracic echocardiography, and arterial blood pressure was measured simultaneously from the brachial artery by sphygmomanometry. Two indexes of the aortic elastic properties were measured which are aortic distensibility and aortic stiffness index. After subgroup analysis of the hypertensive patients, the highest aortic stiffness index value was found in reverse dipper patients (5.8 +/- 3.4) followed by nondipper patients (4.87 +/- 3.5) and the lowest in dipper patients (3.5 +/- 1.3) although clinical blood pressure values of hypertensive patients were similar. The aortic stiffness index value of reverse dippers and nondippers (5.6 +/- 3.4) was higher than in the (3.5 +/- 1.3) dippers group.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found a relation between diurnal blood pressure patterns and aortic elastic properties.
Bitigen
Atila
A
Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart and Research Hospital, Turkey. bitigen@yahoo.com
Fotbolcu
Hakan
H
Güzet
Feza
F
Karaahmet
Tansu
T
Kahveci
Gökhan
G
Tigen
Kürşat
K
Erkol
Ayhan
A
Mutlu
Bülent
B
Başaran
Yelda
Y
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged