title: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a mean to stratify cardiovascular risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current hypertension guidelines stress the importance to assess total cardiovascular risk but do not describe precisely how to use ambulatory blood pressures in the cardiovascular risk stratification.
  
  
  METHODS
  We calculated here global cardiovascular risk according to 2003 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines in 127 patients in whom daytime ambulatory blood pressures were recorded and carotid/femoral ultrasonography performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of ambulatory blood pressures >or =135/85 mmHg shifted cardiovascular risk to higher categories, as did the presence of hypercholesterolemia and, even more so, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies are, however, needed to define the position of ambulatory blood pressures in the assessment of cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pathophysiology, University Hospital, Lausann, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Waeber
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Genoud
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Feihl
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hayoz
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waeber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014463:Ultrasonography