Reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure changes from the initial values on two different days.
OBJECTIVE
We tested the reproducibility of changes in the ambulatory blood pressure (BP) from the initial values, an indicator of BP reactivity and cardiovascular health outcomes, in young, healthy adults.


METHODS
The subjects wore an ambulatory BP monitor attached by the same investigator at the same time of day until the next morning on two different days (day 1 and day 2) separated by a week. We compared the ambulatory BP change from the initial values at hourly intervals over 24 waking and sleeping hours on days 1 and 2 using linear regression and repeated measures analysis of covariance.


RESULTS
The subjects comprised 88 men and 57 women (mean age±SE 22.4±0.3 years) with normal BP (118.3±0.9/69.7±0.6 mmHg). For the total sample, the correlation between the ambulatory BP change on day 1 vs. day 2 over 24, waking, and sleeping hours ranged from 0.37-0.61; among women, the correlation was 0.38-0.71, and among men, it was 0.24-0.52. Among women, the ambulatory systolic/diastolic BP change was greater by 3.1±1.0/2.4±0.8 mmHg over 24 hours and by 3.0±1.1/2.4±0.8 mmHg over waking hours on day 1 than on day 2. The diastolic ambulatory BP change during sleeping hours was greater by 2.2±0.9 mmHg on day 1 than on day 2, but the systolic ambulatory BP change during sleeping hours on days 1 and 2 did not differ. Among men, the ambulatory BP change on days 1 and 2 did not differ.


CONCLUSIONS
Our primary findings were that the ambulatory BP change from the initial values was moderately reproducible; however, it was more reproducible in men than in women. These results suggest that women, but not men, may experience an alerting reaction to initially wearing the ambulatory BP monitor.
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Garrett I
GI
Ash
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Timothy J
TJ
Walker
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Kayla M
KM
Olson
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Jeffrey H
JH
Stratton
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Ana L
AL
Gómez
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
William J
WJ
Kraemer
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Jeff S
JS
Volek
Department of Kinesiology & Human Performance Laboratory, University of Connecticut, StorrsConnecticut, United States.
Linda S
LS
Pescatello
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult