[Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (CABPM): clinical characteristics of 31,530 patients].
OBJECTIVE
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool in hypertensive patients. This study reports the clinical characteristics of 31,530 patients included in the Spanish Registry of ABPM.


METHODS
A total number of 767 investigators recruited patients with suspected or confirmed hypertension to whom an ABPM was indicated with a validated device and included them in the study. Mean blood pressures from daytime, nighttime, and the whole 24-hour period were all measured. Circadian patterns were defined depending on nocturnal systolic blood pressure fall: extreme dipper (> 20%), dipper (10%-20%), non-dipper (< 10%) and riser (nocturnal blood pressure increase).


RESULTS
24-hour, daytime, and nighttime blood pressure values were lower than those obtained at the office. Twenty percent of patients exhibited elevated office blood pressure with normal values on ABPM (<<white coat>> hypertensives or false resistant) whereas 9% showed increased values on ABPM, but normal at the office (masked hypertension). The non-dipper or riser circadian patterns were present in more than half of the patients (40.2% and 13.4%, respectively) and were associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.


CONCLUSIONS
Almost one third of hypertensive patients exhibit blood pressure values that are not concordant between office and ABPM. More than a half of patients, especially those at higher risk, present a circadian pattern with an inadequate nocturnal blood pressure fall.
Sierra
Cristina
C
Unidad de Hipertensión, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España.
De la Sierra
Alejandro
A
Sobrino
Javier
J
Segura
Julián
J
Banegas
José Ramón
JR
Gorostidi
Manuel
M
Ruilope
Luis Miguel
LM
D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged