title: Influence of diurnal blood pressure rhythm on aortic elastic properties in hypertensive subjects.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart and Research Hospital, Turkey. bitigen@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Atila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bitigen
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fotbolcu
authors.forename: Feza
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Güzet
authors.forename: Tansu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karaahmet
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kahveci
authors.forename: Kürşat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tigen
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erkol
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mutlu
authors.forename: Yelda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Başaran
mesh_terms: 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