Clinical impact of dipping and nocturnal blood pressure patterns in newly-diagnosed, never treated patients with essential hypertension

The significance of non-dipping and increased nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP) in established hypertension is well-defined. We investigated whether these factors alone or combined correlate with vascular damage in early-stage hypertension. Newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensives were classified as dippers and non-dippers according to ambulatory blood pressure (BP). 24-h urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and markers of arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, central and peripheral pulse pressure, central BP) and atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness) were assessed.
Source: Journal of the American Society of Hypertension - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research