title: Blood pressure variability in risk stratification: What does it add?
abstract: 1. In this minireview we address the predictive value of blood pressure variability, over and beyond level of pressure, in randomly selected population samples. All reviewed studies had sufficient power, long follow-up duration and a wide age range. 2. We assessed blood pressure variability derived from home visit, self-measured home pressure and 24 h ambulatory monitoring. The conclusions are based mainly on novel indices of blood pressure variability: variability independent of the mean, difference between maximum and minimum blood pressure and average real variability. 3. None of these variability indices or morning surge in blood pressure substantially refined risk profiling over and beyond the blood pressure level. 4. In risk stratification, clinicians should concentrate on blood pressure level, the predominant risk factor modifiable by lifestyle measures and antihypertensive drug treatment.
authors.affiliation: Studies Coordinating Centre, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, KU Leuven, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Planning for Drug Development and Clinical Evaluation, Tohoku University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asayama
authors.forename: Rudolph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tine W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Staessen
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology
keywords: average real variability; blood pressure variability; epidemiology; general population; risk factors; variability independent of the mean index