Nighttime Blood Pressure Research Articles

NIGHT-TIME BLOOD PRESSURE IN DIABETES TYPE-1 ASSESSED BY HOME VS. AMBULATORY MONITORING: A PILOT STUDY

Objective: To compare night-time (asleep) blood pressure (BP) evaluated by home monitoring (HBPM) vs. ambulatory monitoring (ABPM) in adolescents and young adults with diabetes type-1 (DM1) and examine their association with indices of preclinical target organ damage (TOD). Design and method: Individuals aged 12–30 years with DM1 were subjected to 24-hour ABPM (every 20 min, Microlife WatchBP O3) and 7-day HBPM (daytime: duplicate morning and evening measurements; night-time: 3 measurements per night for 3 nights; Microlife WatchBP Home-N), as well as TOD assessment (left ventricular mass index, carotid intima media thickness, urine albumin excretion). Results: Data from 24 individuals were analysed (mean age 19.8 ± 5.3 [SD] years, men 62.5%, BMI 25.6 ± 4.1 kg/m2, 13% with elevated 24-hour ABPM]. The number of valid ABPM readings was 45.7 ± 1.4/22.4 ± 4.8 (awake/asleep, mean ± SD) and HBPM 26.3 ± 2.1/8.3 ± 2.0 respectively (p < 0.001/ < 0.001). Daytime HBPM was lower than ABPM (by 2.7 ± 0.1/1.9 ± 0.7 mmHg, systolic/diastolic, p < 0.05/ < 0.05), but night-time was higher (difference 5.0 ± 0.6/3.2 ± 0 mmHg, p < 0.01/ < 0.05). There was a strong association between HBPM and ABPM (daytime r = 0.85/0.88, night-time r = 0.68/0.49, systolic/diastolic). There was fair agreement (88%; kappa = 0.33) between ABPM and HBPM in diagnosing nocturnal hypertension (age > = 16 years > = 120/70 mmHg; < 16 years > = 95th centile;) and poor agreement in detecting non-dippers (38%, kappa = 0.032). No significant association of night-time ABPM or HBPM and indices of TOD was found, probably due to small sample size and low prevalence of TOD. Conclusions: These preliminary data in young individuals with DM1 show that nocturnal HBPM is feasible and provides values similar to ABPM. Further research is needed to extend these finding and investigate their clinical relevance in DM1.

EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE NYCHTHEMERAL BLOOD PRESSURE PROFILE

Objective: The world is currently facing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of this pandemic on ambulatory blood pressure measurements and to compare the blood pressure profile between COVID-19 positive and negative patients. Design and method: We performed a unicentric, retrospective study on the register of ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM) of the ERASME Hospital from 2010 to 2021. ABPMs performed during the pandemic period (January 2020 to October 2021) were compared with those from 5 previous control periods. In order to improve the comparison of the different periods, we considered variations (delta) of each period from the previous 3 months. For all patients whose ABPM was performed during the COVID-19 period, we looked for COVID test results preceding the ABPM. These patients were classified into 2 groups COVID positive, if at least one PCR or serological test was positive, and COVID negative if not. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.0. Results: After exclusion of incomplete and poor-quality ABPMs, 18766 were retained, of which 1796 (9.57%) were for the COVID-19 period. The control periods represented 14.77% to 18.81% of the MAPAs in the study. We observed that diurnal, nocturnal and 24-hour diastolic blood pressures (BP) were higher in the COVID-19 period than in the previous 5 periods ranging from January 2010 to October 2019. Pulse pressure was lower in the COVID-19 period compared to the previous periods. Of the 1796 patients in the COVID-19 period, pre-ABPM COVID-19 status were obtained from 368 patients, 322 negatives and 46 positives. In COVID-19 positive patients, daytime systolic BP was higher than in COVID-19 negative patients (88,41 ± 11,74 vs 84,63 ± 12,24; p = 0.047). Also, the pulse pressure of COVID-19 positive patients was lower (44,46 ± 7,72 vs 47,57 ± 8,84). No significant differences were observed between the two groups for the other parameters. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased daytime and night-time diastolic blood pressures. Also, this study suggests an increase in diurnal diastolic blood pressure after COVID-19 infection.

LONG SLEEP DURATION AND AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE

Objective: Studies show a link between short sleep duration and hypertension. The mechanistic associations between sleep duration and blood pressure (BP) are less clear. We studied the association between sleep duration, blood pressure, metabolic profile as well as obstructive sleep apnoea in participants with suspected or confirmed hypertension undergoing 24 h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM). Design and method: We included 177 participants (mean age 57 ± 11 years, 67 women) referred for ABPM, with available exact time-points for bedtimes during the recording. Daytime and night-time BP values were calculated accordingly. Biochemistry included triglycerides (TG), high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL, LDL) and total cholesterol. The HDL/TG ratio was calculated as a marker of glucose intolerance. Sleep apnoea was quantified by simultaneous ambulatory polygraphy. Results: Participants were stratified into those with short (n = 16) /normal (n = 139) /long (n = 22) sleep (< = 6 h, > 6 < = 9 h and > 9 h). There were no differences in age, body mass index (BMI) or apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) between groups. Mean office BP was 146 ± 19/89 ± 11 mmHg and mean 24 h ABPM 133 ± 14/80 ± 8 mmHg. By standard ABPM definitions 81, 86, and 77% in the short/normal/long sleep group were hypertensive, and 56, 56 and 73% were on antihypertensive medication. The long sleep group had lower 24 h diastolic BP than the short and normal sleep groups (p < 0.05 by ANOVA). TG levels and TG/HDL ratio were higher in the long sleep group than in the short sleep group (both p < 0.05 by ANOVA; not adjusted for statin treatment). No differences were found in HDL, LDL, or total cholesterol between groups. In a multiple linear regression model, longer sleep duration, older age, and female sex were all independently associated with lower 24 h ABPM diastolic BP (all p < 0.01; full model R2 = 0.25, p < 0.001) while BMI, AHI, TG, and the TG/HDL ratio were not related. Conclusions: Longer sleep duration was independently associated with lower ABPM 24 h diastolic BP together with older age and female sex. The observation with increased TG and TG/HDL ratio in the long sleep group warrants further study.

PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD PRESSURE PARAMETERS FOR PREDICTING CARDIOVASCULAR DEATH

Objective: The nycterohemeral rhythm of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate has been associated with cardiovascular outcomes. However, long-term prognostic significance of BP at different levels of heart rates has rarely been studied. We therefore conducted the present analysis to investigate the prognostic values for cardiovascular outcome by the ambulatory BP parameters during different time windows Design and method: We enrolled 5 large cohorts from whole world, including CARDIA, IDACO, JHS, SPRINT to find out independent prognostic factors for cardiovascular disease mortality, feature engineering and feature transformation were used. Several statistical and machine learning methods including the stepwise procedure, lasso penalty, and random survival forest with bootstrap technique were used to screen important candidates of risk factors. Models building are based on systolic BP replacement into the established Framingham risk score. Directly one to one replacement and indirectly two stage replacement methods are considered with variable diversity. C-statistics, NRI are used for model performance evaluation. Results: In model building procedure, nighttime BP combined with pulse pressure, morning-evening difference of SBP and weighted SBP consistently had a higher C-statistics than had office systolic BP. In validation datasets, equations incorporating mean BP and pulse pressure had best performance in C-index (0.754). In contrast, the C-index (higher is better), of the usual Framingham risk score with office systolic BP are 0.744. Furthermore, the best model had acceptable predicted accuracy based on model calibration statistics (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that mean BP at night combined with pulse pressure, morning-evening difference of SBP and weighted SBP, throughout 24 hours had the largest predictive power of 20-year cardiovascular death in population with ABPM recordings. The transportability of the proposed cardiovascular risk function should be evaluated in future studies.

NIGHT-TIME BLOOD PRESSURE ASSESSED BY HOME VS. AMBULATORY MONITORING IN ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: ASSOCIATION WITH PRECLINICAL TARGET ORGAN DAMAGE

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of night-time blood pressure (BP) assessed by home (HBP) or ambulatory BP (ABP) monitoring with preclinical target organ damage in adults with type 2 diabetes (DM2). Design and method: Hypertensive adults with DM2 or pre-diabetes on stable treatment were subjected to (i) 24 h ABP monitoring (20 min intervals, Microlife WatchBP O3), (ii) HBP monitoring (7 days with duplicate morning/evening measurements and 3 nights with 3 measurements/night, Microlife WatchBP Home-N), and measurement of (iii) echocardiographic left ventricular mass index (LVMI), (iv) carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), (v) aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and ankle-brachial index (ABI), (Microlife PWV/ABI), (vi) urine albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) in 2 different morning samples. Results: Seventy individuals were analyzed (mean age 65.2 ± 9.7 years, 47 males, body mass index 31.6 ± 4.8 kg/m2, 59 with DM2 and 11 with pre-DM). Daytime HBP was slightly higher than daytime ABP (mean difference 2.4 ± 9.3/0.5 ± 4.9 mmHg, systolic/diastolic, p < 0.05/NS). Similarly, night-time HBP was slightly higher than night-time ABP (2.1 ± 6.5/0.8 ± 5.0 mmHg, p < 0.05/NS). There was strong correlation between ABP and HBP (daytime r = 0.77/0.77 and night-time 0.88/0.80, systolic/diastolic) (all p < 0.05). Night-time ambulatory/home pulse pressure presented the following correlation coefficients with indices of target organ damage: LVMI r = 0.23/0.15; cIMT 0.28/0.28; ABI -0.21/-0.23; PWV 0.04/0.05; ACR 0.57/0.50 (p = NS for HBP-ABP comparisons). The agreement between night-time HBP and ABP in identifying individuals with nocturnal hypertension was 81% (kappa statistic = 0.63) and in detection of non-dippers 73% (kappa = 0.44). Conclusions: Night-time HBP monitoring in hypertensive adults with DM2 is feasible, strongly associated with night-time ABP and gives similar correlations with preclinical target organ damage. These methods also present substantial agreement in identifying individuals with nocturnal hypertension.

SIMPLE PREDICTIVE SCORE FOR NOCTURNAL HYPERTENSION AND MASKED NOCTURNAL HYPERTENSION USING HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Objective: The decision whether to measure nighttime blood pressure (BP) is challenging because these values cannot be easily evaluated due to problems with measurement devices and related stress. Using the nationwide, practice-based Japan Morning Surge-Home BP Nocturnal BP study data, we developed a simple predictive score that physicians can use to diagnose nocturnal hypertension. Design and method: We divided 2,765 outpatients (mean age 63 years; hypertensives 92%) with cardiovascular risks who underwent morning, evening, and nighttime home BP (HBP) measurements (2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 a.m.) into a calibration group (n = 2,212) and validation group (n = 553). We used logistic-regression models in the calibration group to identify the predictive score for nocturnal hypertension (nighttime HBP > = 120/70 mmHg) and then evaluated the score's predictive ability in the validation group. Results: In the logistic-regression model, male sex, increased body mass index (BMI) (> = 25 kg/m2), diabetes, elevated urine-albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) (> = 30 mg/g Cr), elevated office BP (> = 140/90 mmHg), and elevated morning and evening HBP (> = 135/85 mmHg) had positive relationships with nocturnal hypertension. The predictive scores for nocturnal hypertension were 1-point (male, BMI, diabetes, and UACR); 2-points (office BP > = 140/90 mmHg); 3-points (evening HBP > = 135/85 mmHg); 4-points (morning HBP > = 135/85 mmHg); total 13 points. Over 80% of the nocturnal hypertension cases in the validation group showed > = 10-points (AUC = 0.705, 95%CI: 0.661–0.748). We also developed a score for masked nocturnal hypertension, i.e., nocturnal hypertension despite controlled daytime HBP. Conclusions: We developed a simple predictive score for nocturnal hypertension that can be used in clinical settings and for diagnoses.

IMPACT OF LONG-TERM USE OF CPAP TREATMENT ON BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG REFRACTORY HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Objective: To assess blood pressure response to long-term continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment among patients with refractory hypertension (RfHTN) with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Design and method: An observational prospective study was performed in 26 patients (35.7% male, average age 59.3 ± 7.9 years) with diagnostic of RfHTN and moderate and severe OSA who were divided in 2 groups to use CPAP (CPAP group, n = 13) or not (control group, n = 15). All of them were submitted to clinical follow-up and their anti-hypertensive medication was adjusted according to the assistant physician. 24-hour ABPM was performed both at the beginning and at the end of the study. Primary outcomes were changes in office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and BP control. The comparison between groups of BP changes were calculated by a general linear model with group allocation as a fixed factor and adjusted by its respective BP basal values in addition to gender and age. Results: The median follow-up time was 68 months (IQR: 49–81 months). CPAP and control groups were similar in their baseline demographic, anthropometric, laboratory characteristics, and office and ambulatory BP. They had mean systolic and diastolic 24-hour BP of 142 (15) and 83 (14), respectively. At the end of follow-up, refractory patients using CPAP had a reduction of 8.5 and 5.0 mmHg of office systolic and diastolic BP with an intergroup difference (CPAP and control) of 13.5 (-15.2 – 42.3) mmHg and 10.1 (-7.5 – 5.4) mmHg, respectively. The most important difference between groups was noticed at nighttime with an intergroup difference of 10.0 (-8.6 – 28.7) mmHg of systolic BP and 6.7 (-3.9 – 17.3) mmHg of nighttime diastolic BP. Out of 28 initial refractory patients, 12 are not refractory anymore, being 3 (20%) in control group and 9 (69.2%) in CPAP group with a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.02) Conclusions: Long-term use of CPAP among refractory hypertensive patients with moderate/severe OSA seems to be effective to reduce and control blood pressure measured both in the office BP and 24-hour ABPM, especially lowering nighttime blood pressure.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NON-DIPPER OR NIGHT-TIME BLOOD PRESSURE PATTERN AND ALCOHOL DRINKING OR QUALITY OF SLEEP IN KOREAN REGISTRY OF AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING STUDY

Objective: Non-dipper or reverse dipper is known to be associated with adverse cardiovascular prognosis in general population and clinical cohort. There are few large sized to explore the factor related to non-dipper or nighttime blood pressure pattern in terms of sleep quality and lifestyle factors. Design and method: With the database of Korean multicenter nationwide prospective Registry of Ambulatory Blood Pressure monitoring (KORABP) study, 3745 patients referred for blood pressure evaluation was nalysed for clinical profiles including current smoking and alcohol drinking habits, sleep quality in 4 Likert scale as hardly sleep, poor sleep, not so bad, and very good with 1 to 4 points, and medical history. Results: Age was 55.5+/-14.3 years and female was 45%. BMI was 24.7+/-3.4 kg/m2. 33.6% of the study population. Smoking and drinking habits 14.6% and 37.2%, respectively. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular diseases were 19.0%, 27.9% and 22.1%, respectively. Normotensive, untreated hypertension, and treated hypertension were 29.1%, 37.2% and 33.6%, respectively. Sleep qualities in hardly sleep, poor sleep, not so bad, and very good were 14.7%, 32.6%, 32.1% and 20.6%, respectively. In multivariable regression analyses for non-dipper or reverse dipper, age > 56 years, cardiovascular disease history, hypertension by ABPM, and poor sleep are positively associated factors whereas drinking and hypertension by clinic BP were negatively associated factors. Antihypertensive medication has no association. Sleep quality was negatively and positively associated with extreme dipper and reverse dipper, respectively. Conclusions: Age, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension by ABPM were associated with non-dipper. Drinking was associated with dipper. Good and poor sleep qualities were significant factors for extreme dipper and reverse dipper or non-dipper, respectively.

Wearable cuffless blood pressure monitoring devices: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

High blood pressure (BP) is the commonest modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, yet its monitoring remains problematic. Wearable cuffless BP devices offer potential solutions; however, little is known about their validity and utility. We aimed to systematically review the validity, features and clinical use of wearable cuffless BP devices. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, IEEE Xplore and the Cochrane Database till December 2019 for studies that reported validating cuffless BP devices. We extracted information about study characteristics, device features, validation processes, and clinical applications. Devices were classified according to their functions and features. We defined devices with a mean systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) biases of <5 mmHg as valid as a consensus. Our definition of validity did not include assessment of device measurement precision, which is assessed by standard deviation of the mean difference-a critical component of ISO protocol validation criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2 tool. A random-effects model meta-analysis was performed to summarise the mean biases for SBP and DBP across studies. Of the 430 studies identified, 16 studies (15 devices, 974 participants) were selected. The majority of devices (81.3%) used photoplethysmography to estimate BP against a reference device; other technologies included tonometry, auscultation and electrocardiogram. In addition to BP and heart rate, some devices also measured night-time BP (n = 5), sleep monitoring (n = 3), oxygen saturation (n = 3), temperature (n = 2) and electrocardiogram (n = 3). Eight devices showed mean biases of <5 mmHg for SBP and DBP compared with a reference device and three devices were commercially available. The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the wearable and reference devices for SBP (pooled mean difference = 3.42 mmHg, 95% CI: -2.17, 9.01, I2 95.4%) and DBP (pooled mean = 1.16 mmHg, 95% CI: -1.26, 3.58, I2 87.1%). Several cuffless BP devices are currently available using different technologies, offering the potential for continuous BP monitoring. The variation in standards and validation protocols limited the comparability of findings across studies and the identification of the most accurate device. Challenges such as validation using standard protocols and in real-life settings must be overcome before they can be recommended for uptake into clinical practice.

Impact of COVID‐19 on Ambulatory Daytime and Nighttime Blood Pressure in Young Otherwise Healthy Adults

BackgroundCOVID‐19 has been shown to cause impairments in vascular function and elevations in resting sympathetic nerve activity in young otherwise healthy adults. Notably, our laboratory recently reported that persistence of COVID‐19 symptoms beyond the acute phase of the illness (i.e., beyond 4 weeks) was accompanied by macro‐ and micro‐ vascular dysfunction as measured by flow mediated dilation and reactive hyperemia, respectively. Interestingly, despite consistent reports of vascular alterations, no studies have reported changes in resting blood pressure (BP) following COVID‐19. One caveat is that BP has only been measured in the laboratory setting. Indeed, to date, no studies have assessed the effect of COVID‐19 on ambulatory BP, which allows for a complete assessment of daytime and nighttime BP without the potential for well known “white coat” effects on BP. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of COVID‐19 on 24‐hr ambulatory BP in young adults diagnosed with COVID‐19 within the preceding 6 months. We hypothesized that ambulatory BP would be greater in individuals who had COVID‐19 compared to controls who never had COVID‐19, and that those with symptoms would have higher BP compared to those who were asymptomatic at the time of testing.MethodsWe studied 21 young healthy adults who had a positive laboratory diagnosis of COVID‐19 (COVID: 23 ± 1 years [Mean ± SE]; 12 ± 1 [range: 4 to 22] weeks since diagnosis; 13 females) and 10 controls (23 ± 1 years, 6 females) who never had COVID‐19. Eleven individuals who had COVID‐19 were asymptomatic at the time of testing while 10 were symptomatic. Ambulatory BP was measured using the Oscar 2 oscillometric monitor (Sun Tech Medical). Participants were instructed to perform normal daily activities but not to perform any exercise during the 24‐hr period. Measurements were obtained every 20 min during daytime and every 30 min during nighttime. Average daytime, nighttime and 24‐hr systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were calculated.ResultsDaytime, nighttime, and 24‐hr BPs were not different between control and COVID subjects (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). Similarly, there were no differences in any of the BP assessments between control, asymptomatic or symptomatic COVID subjects (e.g., daytime SBP: control 122 ± 4; asymptomatic 119 ± 4; symptomatic 125 ± 2 mmHg, P = 0.451). Interestingly, in the COVID group, daytime, nighttime, and 24‐hr SBP, DBP, and MAP were inversely correlated with time since diagnosis (P < 0.05 for all with medium to large effect size). Multiple linear regression showed that after accounting for age, BMI, and physical activity (reported average exercise minutes/week), time since diagnosis was a significant predictor of daytime and 24‐hr SBP, DBP, and MAP (e.g., daytime SBP: P = 0.028, β coefficient = ‐0.697). For nighttime BP, time since diagnosis was a significant predictor only for SBP.ConclusionThese preliminary data suggest that the effect of COVID‐19 on ambulatory BP in young adults may be dependent on the time since diagnosis with higher daytime and nighttime BP present closer to the onset of the infection, which appeared to be independent of symptomology. Longitudinal follow up studies are warranted.

Nighttime Blood Pressure Dipping is Attenuated in Young and Apparently Healthy Black Adults Compared to White Adults

In America, Black adults are 30% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to White adults, and more than half of this racial disparity in CVD‐related mortality may be attributed to the substantially greater prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) in Black adults. Furthermore, compared to White adults with hypertension, Black adults with hypertension are less likely to exhibit a nocturnal reduction in BP (i.e., “dipping”). Importantly, non‐dipping BP is associated with target organ damage and increased CVD risk. However, it is unclear whether young and apparently healthy Black adults exhibit reduced BP dipping compared to their White peers.PURPOSETherefore, the purpose of this preliminary investigation was to determine whether there are racial differences in BP dipping using ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), including 24‐hour‐, daytime‐, and nighttime‐BP, in young and apparently healthy Black and White adults.METHODSWe obtained clinical BP and 24‐hour ABPM readings in 10 self‐identified White adults (5M/5F; age: 21.6±4.4 yrs; BMI: 23.8±2.9 kg/m2; Mean±SD) and 7 self‐identified Black adults (3M/4F; age: 21.7±3.5 yrs; BMI: 25.1±2.8 kg/m2). The ABPM monitors were programmed to record BP every 20 and 30 minutes during each participants daytime‐ and nighttime‐period, respectively. True daytime‐ and nighttime‐BP periods were adjusted during analysis based upon participant activity logs. We defined “non‐dipping” as a failure to achieve a dipping ratio of &lt;0.90 (night‐to‐day BP ratio). BP data were compared using independent t‐tests and the Fisher’s exact test was used to compare dipping frequency between races (α=0.05).RESULTSClinically measured BP (systolic/diastolic) was not different (P&gt;0.05) between White (117±9/67±6 mmHg) and Black (124±12/70±9 mmHg) adults. There was also no difference (P&gt;0.05) in 24‐hour‐BP between White (117±11/66±7 mmHg) and Black (114±14/63±7 mmHg) adults. Likewise, daytime‐BP was not different (P&gt;0.05) between White (122±12/71±8 mmHg) and Black (116±14/66±8 mmHg) participants, nor was there a difference in nighttime‐BP (P&gt;0.05) between White (102±9/51±4 mmHg) and Black (105±13/54±7 mmHg) adults. However, systolic BP dipping was attenuated (P=0.04) in Black (0.90±0.05) compared to White (0.84±0.07) adults. Non‐dipping of systolic BP was observed in 5 of 7 Black participants and 2 of 10 White participants (P=0.06). Diastolic BP dipping in Black adults was 0.79±0.06 and White adults was 0.73±0.09 (P=0.05). Non‐dipping of diastolic BP was observed in 1 of 7 Black participants and 1 of 10 White participants (P=1.00).CONCLUSIONSThese preliminary data suggest that despite similar clinical and 24‐hour ambulatory BP compared to White adults, young and apparently healthy Black adults exhibit impaired BP dipping, which may contribute to increased likelihood of CVD.

Is there a relationship between heart rate recovery and blood pressure in white coat hypertension?

Aim Increasing evidence suggests that autonomic dysfunction may be involved in the etiology of white coat hypertension (WCH). The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic function by using heart rate recovery (HRR) indices in patients with WCH classified according to their circadian rhythm type of blood pressure (BP).Material and methods This cross-sectional study included 120 participants over the age of 18 yrs, including 50 patients diagnosed with WCH and 70 healthy controls with normal in- and out-of-office BP and without any known disease. Circadian rhythm types, i.e., dippers and non-dippers, were identified using ambulatory BP monitoring. The HRR indices were calculated by subtracting the 1st-minute (HRR1), 2nd-minute (HRR2), and 3rd-minute (HRR3) heart rates from the maximal heart rate recorded during stress testing.Results The lesser decline in nighttime BP (6.4±2.14 and 13.3±2.2 mmHg, respectively; p&lt;0.001) and the smaller mean HRR1 (25.5±3.0 and 30.3±3.1 beats / min, respectively; p&lt;0.001) were evident in WCH non-dippers compared to WCH dippers. Linear regression analysis showed that HRR1 (β±SE=0.43±0.11; p&lt;0.001) and diastolic BP at maximum exercise (β±SE=0.14±0.07; p=0.040) are independent risk factors for the blunted decline in nighttime BP.Conclusion Delayed recovery of heart rate after an exercise stress test is associated with non-dipper type of circadian rhythm of BP. This was more pronounced in WCH patients, and these patients are at risk of autonomic dysfunction.

Ambulatory diastolic blood pressure: a marker of comorbidity in elderly fit hypertensive individuals?

BACKGROUNDMasked diastolic hypotension is a new blood pressure (BP) pattern detected by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in elderly hypertensives. The aim of this study was to relate ABPM and comorbidity in a cohort of fit elderly subjects attending an outpatient hypertension clinic.METHODSComorbidity was assessed by Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and CHA2DS2VASc score. All subjects evaluated with ABPM were aged ≥ 65 years. CCI and CHA2DS2VASc score were calculated. Diastolic hypotension was defined as mean ambulatory diastolic BP < 65 mmHg and logistic regression analysis was carried out in order to detect and independent relationship between comorbidity burden and night-time diastolic BP < 65 mmHg. RESULTSWe studied 174 hypertensive elderly patients aged 72.1 ± 5.2 years, men were 93 (53.4%). Mean CCI was 0.91 ± 1.14 and mean CHA2DS2VASc score of 2.68 ± 1.22. Subjects with night-time mean diastolic values < 65 mmHg were higher in females [54.7% vs. 45.3%, P = 0.048; odds ratio (OR) = 1.914, 95% CI: 1.047−3.500]. Logistic regression analysis showed that only CHA2DS2VASc score was independently associated with night-time mean diastolic values < 65 mmHg (OR = 1.518, 95% CI: 1.161−1.985; P = 0.002), but CCI was not. CONCLUSIONSABPM and comorbidity evaluation appear associated in elderly fit subjects with masked hypotension. Comorbid women appear to have higher risk for low ambulatory BP.

Aerobic exercise training improves nocturnal blood pressure dipping in medicated hypertensive individuals.

The absence of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) reduction at night in hypertensive individuals is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of an aerobic training intervention on nocturnal BP dipping in medicated hypertensive individuals. At baseline, hypertensive individuals under pharmacological treatment underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring and a morning urine sample to analyze albumin creatinine ratio (UACR). Then, participants were divided into nocturnal dippers ( N = 15; 59 ± 6 years) and nondippers ( N = 20; 58 ± 5 years) according to a day-to-night BP reduction of >10% or <10%, respectively. Next, participants underwent a 3-weekly, 4-month aerobic interval training intervention. Follow-up measurements revealed a reduction in daytime diastolic BP in dippers and nondippers ( Ptime < 0.001), whereas nighttime systolic BP was reduced only in nondippers ( P = 0.004). Regarding dipping pattern, nocturnal systolic BP dipping increased after training in nondippers (5 ± 3 to 9 ± 7%; P = 0.018), whereas in dippers, there was a decrease in nocturnal dipping after training (14 ± 4 to 10 ± 7%, P = 0.016). Nocturnal diastolic BP dipping did not change in nondippers (8 ± 5 to 10 ± 7%; P = 0.273) but decreased in dippers (17 ± 6 to 12 ± 8%; P = 0.004). In addition, UACR was significantly reduced in both groups after training ( Ptime = 0.020). Aerobic exercise training is associated with nocturnal BP dipping as nighttime BP was lower than before the program in medicated hypertensive individuals with an initial nondipping phenotype. The lack of improvement in individuals with a dipping phenotype warrants further investigation to discern whether dipping phenotypes influence BP responses to exercise training.

Endothelial Cullin3 Mutation Impairs Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vasodilation and Promotes Salt-Induced Hypertension.

Human hypertension caused by in-frame deletion of CULLIN3 exon-9 (Cul3∆9) is driven by renal and vascular mechanisms. We bred conditionally activatable Cul3∆9 transgenic mice with tamoxifen-inducible Tie2-CREERT2 mice to test the importance of endothelial Cul3. The resultant mice (E-Cul3∆9) trended towards elevated nighttime blood pressure (BP) correlated with increased nighttime activity, but displayed no difference in daytime BP or activity. Male and female E-Cul3∆9 mice together exhibited a decline in endothelial-dependent relaxation in carotid artery. Male but not female E-Cul3∆9 mice displayed severe endothelial dysfunction in cerebral basilar artery. There was no impairment in mesenteric artery and no difference in smooth muscle function, suggesting the effects of Cul3∆9 are arterial bed-specific and sex-dependent. Expression of Cul3∆9 in primary mouse aortic endothelial cells decreased endogenous Cul3 protein, phosphorylated (S1177) endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) production. Protein phosphatase (PP) 2A, a known Cul3 substrate, dephosphorylates eNOS. Cul3∆9-induced impairment of eNOS activity was rescued by a selective PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid, but not by a PP1 inhibitor tautomycetin. Because NO deficiency contributes to salt-induced hypertension, we tested the salt-sensitivity of E-Cul3∆9 mice. While both male and female E-Cul3∆9 mice developed salt-induced hypertension and renal injury, the pressor effect of salt was greater in female mutants. The increased salt-sensitivity in female E-Cul3∆9 mice was associated with decreased renovascular relaxation and impaired natriuresis in response to a sodium load. Thus, CUL3 mutations in the endothelium may contribute to human hypertension in part through decreased endothelial NO bioavailability, renovascular dysfunction, and increased salt-sensitivity of BP.

Long-term efficacy and safety of renal denervation in the presence of antihypertensive drugs (SPYRAL HTN-ON MED): a randomised, sham-controlled trial

Renal denervation has been shown to lower blood pressure in the presence of antihypertensive medications; however, long-term safety and efficacy data from randomised trials of renal denervation are lacking. In this pre-specified analysis of the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED study, we compared changes in blood pressure, antihypertensive drug use, and safety up to 36 months in renal denervation versus a sham control group. This randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial enrolled patients from 25 clinical centres in the USA, Germany, Japan, the UK, Australia, Austria, and Greece, with uncontrolled hypertension and office systolic blood pressure between 150 mm Hg and 180 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher. Eligible patients had to have 24-h ambulatory systolic blood pressure between 140 mm Hg and less than 170 mm Hg, while taking one to three antihypertensive drugs with stable doses for at least 6 weeks. Patients underwent renal angiography and were randomly assigned (1:1) to radiofrequency renal denervation or a sham control procedure. Patients and physicians were unmasked after 12-month follow-up and sham control patients could cross over after 12-month follow-up completion. The primary endpoint was the treatment difference in mean 24-h systolic blood pressure at 6 months between the renal denervation group and the sham control group. Statistical analyses were done on the intention-to-treat population. Long-term efficacy was assessed using ambulatory and office blood pressure measurements up to 36 months. Drug surveillance was used to assess medication use. Safety events were assessed up to 36 months. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02439775; prospectively, an additional 260 patients are currently being randomly assigned as part of the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED Expansion trial. Between July 22, 2015, and June 14, 2017, among 467 enrolled patients, 80 patients fulfilled the qualifying criteria and were randomly assigned to undergo renal denervation (n=38) or a sham control procedure (n=42). Mean ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly reduced from baseline in the renal denervation group, and were significantly lower than the sham control group at 24 and 36 months, despite a similar treatment intensity of antihypertensive drugs. The medication burden at 36 months was 2·13 medications (SD 1·15) in the renal denervation group and 2·55 medications (2·19) in the sham control group (p=0·26). 24 (77%) of 31 patients in the renal denervation group and 25 (93%) of 27 patients in the sham control group adhered to medication at 36 months. At 36 months, the ambulatory systolic blood pressure reduction was -18·7 mm Hg (SD 12·4) for the renal denervation group (n=30) and -8·6 mm Hg (14·6) for the sham control group (n=32; adjusted treatment difference -10·0 mm Hg, 95% CI -16·6 to -3·3; p=0·0039). Treatment differences between the renal denervation group and sham control group at 36 months were -5·9 mm Hg (95% CI -10·1 to -1·8; p=0·0055) for mean ambulatory diastolic blood pressure, -11·0 mm Hg (-19·8 to -2·1; p=0·016) for morning systolic blood pressure, and -11·8 mm Hg (-19·0 to -4·7; p=0·0017) for night-time systolic blood pressure. There were no short-term or long-term safety issues associated with renal denervation. Radiofrequency renal denervation compared with sham control produced a clinically meaningful and lasting blood pressure reduction up to 36 months of follow-up, independent of concomitant antihypertensive medications and without major safety events. Renal denervation could provide an adjunctive treatment modality in the management of patients with hypertension. Medtronic.

The Effect of Circadian Blood Pressure in The Development of Lacunar Infarcts, Together with Other Possible Factors

This study was carried out in Amasya University S.S.R.E. Hospital Department of Neurology and Cardiology between 2021 and 2022. Total number of 58 patients (29 lacunar infarct patients and 29 control subjects, 42 females and 16 males) over the age of 45 (mean age 57.1+-6.8) were recruited to the study. All patients underwent 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. The patients with a history of stroke, malignancy, renal or endocrinal disease were excluded from the study. According to the systolic blood pressure measurements, twenty-seven patients were ‘non-Dipper’ and thirty-one patients were ‘Dipper’. Diastolic blood pressure measurements revealed that twenty-one patients were ‘non-Dipper’ and thirty-seven patients were ‘Dipper’.Mean daytime and night-time systolic blood pressure values were higher in patients with lacunar infarction (p:0.02). There was no difference in the diastolic BP and variability (p &amp;gt; 0,05). The clinical importance of the alteration in the reduction of blood pressure is still controversial. Understanding the alterations in blood pressure rhythmicity will be helpful to prevent and treat the lacunar infarctions.

Prognostic value of non-resistant and resistant masked uncontrolled hypertension detected by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) is at higher cardiovascular risk than controlled hypertension (CH). In previous studies, patients with MUCH were considered as a unique group though those receiving ≤2 drugs could be defined as having nonresistant MUCH (NRMUCH) and those receiving ≥3 drugs as having resistant MUCH (RMUCH). The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of NRMUCH and RMUCH detected by ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Cardiovascular risk was evaluated in 738 treated hypertensive patients with normal clinic BP. Patients were classified as having CH or MUCH if daytime BP < or ≥ 135/85 mmHg, respectively, regardless of nighttime BP, or CH or MUCH if 24‐h BP < or ≥ 130/80 mmHg, respectively, regardless of daytime or nighttime BP. By daytime or 24‐h BP, the authors detected 523 (71%), 178 (24%), and 37 (5%) or 463 (63%), 231 (31%), and 44 (6%) patients with CH, NRMUCH, and RMUCH, respectively. During the follow‐up (median 10 years), 148 events occurred. After adjustment for covariates, compared to CH, the hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI), for cardiovascular events was 1.81, 1.27–2.57, and 2.99, 1.73–5.16, in NRMUCH and RMUCH defined by daytime BP, respectively, and 1.58, 1.12–2.23, and 2.21, 1.27–3.82, in NRMUCH and RMUCH defined by 24‐h BP, respectively. If RMUCH was compared with NRMUCH, the risk tended to be higher in RMUCH but did not attain statistical significance (P = .08 and P = .23 by daytime and 24‐h BP thresholds, respectively). In conclusion, both NRMUCH and RMUCH are at increased cardiovascular risk than CH.

Impact of the kidney transplantation on renalase and blood pressure levels in renal transplant donors and recipients

Introduction and objectivesPrevalence of hypertension increases as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declines. Renalase metabolizes catecholamines and have an important role in blood pressure (BP) regulation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of kidney transplantation on renalase levels and BP in kidney donors and recipients. Materials and methodsTwenty kidney transplant recipients and their donors were included in the study. Serum renalase levels and ambulatory BP values were measured in both donors and recipients before and after transplantation. Factor associated with change in renalase and BP levels were also evaluated. ResultsIn donors; mean GFR and hemoglobin levels decreased while night-time systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels and serum renalase levels increased simultaneously after nephrectomy. Day-time SBP and DBP levels did not changed and the night/day ratio of mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased significantly. In recipients, mean GFR increased, while mean serum renalase levels, creatinine and BP levels decreased after transplantation. Correlation analysis revealed that changes in MAP correlated with alteration in serum renalase levels and GFR. ConclusionsAfter transplantation, serum renalase levels increased in donors and decreased in recipients. The renalase levels are associated with change in MAP and circadian rhythm of BP in donors and recipients.

A Joint Model for Unbalanced Nested Repeated Measures with Informative Drop-Out Applied to Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Data.

This study proposes a Bayesian joint model with extended random effects structure that incorporates nested repeated measures and provides simultaneous inference on treatment effects over time and drop-out patterns. The proposed model includes flexible splines to characterize the circadian variation inherent in blood pressure sequences, and we assess the effectiveness of an intervention to resolve pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. We demonstrate that the proposed model and its conventional two-stage counterpart provide similar estimates of nighttime blood pressure but estimates on the mean evolution of daytime blood pressure are discrepant. Our simulation studies tailored to the motivating data suggest reasonable estimation and coverage probabilities for both fixed and random effects. Computational challenges of model implementation are discussed.