The association of C-reactive protein to albumin ratio with non-dipping status in hypertensive patients.

Abstract

A reduction of less than 10% in nocturnal blood pressure (BP) compared to daytime BP is defined as non-dipper hypertension (HT). The C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) emerged as a popular and useful biomarker for cardiovascular disease. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between CAR and non-dipper status. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between October 1, 2020 and December 1, 2020 and included 200 consecutive patients with elevated BP (102 women and 98 men). The numbers of dipper HT [mean BP drop at night >10%], and non-dipper HT [mean BP drop at night <10%] patients were equal in the entire study population. All data of the patients eligible for the study were retrieved from the hospital's electronic medical records. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests, and linear and logistic regression analyses were used for statistical analyses as appropriate). A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The CAR was higher in non-dipper group than dippers (38 and 19; p<0.001). Moreover, CAR independently predicted non-dipper status [odds ratio (OR) 1.825 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.887-2.206; p = 0.012]. In our study, patients with non-dipper HT showed higher CAR values and CAR was independently associated with non-dipper status. Larger studies are needed to establish the relationship between CAR and non-dipper status and to generalize our conclusions for clinical practice.