title: Circadian blood pressure pattern and cardiac autonomic functions: different aspects of same pathophysiology.
abstract: Arterial blood pressure fluctuates with a pattern that follows a circadian rhythm, with a peak in the early morning hours and a trough during nighttime. Nocturnal dipping of arterial blood pressure is part of this normal circadian pattern, and its absence, which is called non-dipping is associated with more severe end-organ damage and increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially in hypertensive patients. Although pathologic mechanisms are still unclear, it has been suggested that non-dippers show impairment in the autonomic system functions that include abnormal parasympathetic and sympathetic activities. Several studies have examined the role of the autonomic nervous system in the non-dipping phenomenon. In this paper, we aimed to review the studies evaluating the relationship between circadian arterial blood pressure pattern and indices of cardiac autonomic functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. sercanokutucu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sercan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okutucu
authors.forename: Uğur Nadir
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Karakulak
authors.forename: Giray
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kabakçı
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*