title: [Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (CABPM): clinical characteristics of 31,530 patients].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Hipertensión, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sierra
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De la Sierra
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sobrino
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Banegas
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorostidi
authors.forename: Luis Miguel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ruilope
mesh_terms: D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged