title: Elevated pulse pressure in treated hypertensive patients during 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested whether antihypertensive therapy may alter PP independently from other blood pressure parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (24-h ABPM) were compared between healthy normotensive controls and hypertensive subjects successfully treated (sBP/dBP 24-hour average bellow 130/80 mmHg) with antihypertensive medication either with absence (Treated) or presence of additional risk factors (Treated + R). These groups were compared with poorly treated hypertensives (sBP/dBP over 130/80 mmHg) with absence (Uncontrolled) or presence of additional risk factors (Uncontrolled + R). We studied mean 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure (sBP and dBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Treated and Treated + R groups, sBP and dBP were appropriately controlled by antihypertensive medication, however PP was significantly increased in both groups (49 +/- 1 mmHg and 51 +/- 2 mmHg, resp., in both p < 0.05) as compared to the controls (43 +/- 1 mmHg). In Uncontrolled and Uncontrolled + R groups, values of PP were even significantly higher (60 +/- 2 mmHg and 76 +/- 3, resp.) as compared to controls as well as to successfully treated groups (p < 0.05). PP was significantly positively correlated to sBP in all groups (p < 0.05), except Treated + R. Other parameters (age, body mass index, MAP) showed overall significant positive relationship only in pooled hypertensive population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  24-h ABPM revealed significantly increased PP, in spite of proper control of sBP and dBP in treated hypertensive patients. We propose that 24-h PP could provide additional information in the evaluation of antihypertensive therapy, even when depending on sBP (Tab. 3, Fig. 2, Ref. 39).
authors.affiliation: Hospital of Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department of Functional Diagnostics, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strbova
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kmecova
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klimas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents