Exaggerated morning blood pressure surge and cardiovascular events. A 5-year longitudinal study in normotensive and well-controlled hypertensive elderly.
Cardiovascular events (CE) occur most frequently in the morning hours in hypertensive subjects. We studied the association between the morning blood pressure (BP) surge and CE in prognosis of 10 normotensive and 32 well-controlled hypertensive elderly, in whom ambulatory BP monitoring was performed and who were followed prospectively for 5 years. The morning surge (MS) of BP was calculated as mean systolic BP during 2h after awakening--mean systolic BP during 1h that included the lowest sleep BP. During an average of 60 months, five CE occurred. When the patients were divided into two groups according to MS, those in the top terzile (MS group; MS> or =34 mmHg, n=14) had a higher prevalence of CE (5 versus 0, p=0.001) during the follow-up period, than the others (non-MS group; MS<34 mmHg, n=28). The logistic regression analysis showed the MS sleep-trough surge as predictive variable of CE (odds ratio, OR=0.794, p=0.022). In conclusion, in older normotensives and well-controlled hypertensives, a higher BP MS is associated with vascular risk independently of clinical and ambulatory BP. Reduction of the MS could thus be a therapeutic target for preventing vascular events also in non-hypertensive patients.
Amici
A
A
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: alessandro.amici@uniroma1.it.
Cicconetti
P
P
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Sagrafoli
C
C
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Baratta
A
A
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Passador
P
P
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Pecci
T
T
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Tassan
G
G
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Verrusio
W
W
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Marigliano
V
V
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
Cacciafesta
M
M
Department of Aging Science, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Policlinico 155, I-00160 Rome, Italy.
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents