Nighttime blood pressure fall in renal disease patients

Relationship between ambulatory BP and clinical outcomes in patients with hypertensive CKD

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Abnormal ambulatory BP (ABP) profiles are commonplace in CKD, yet the prognostic value of ABP for renal and cardiovascular outcomes is uncertain. This study assessed the relationship of baseline ABP profiles with CKD progression and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes to determine the prognostic value of ABP beyond that of clinic BP measurements.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

Between 2002 and 2003, 617 African Americans with hypertensive CKD treated to a clinic BP goal of <130/80 mmHg were enrolled in this prospective, observational study. Participants were followed for a median of 5 years. Primary renal outcome was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine, ESRD, or death. The primary cardiovascular outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, hospitalized congestive heart failure, stroke, revascularization procedures, cardiovascular death, and ESRD.

RESULTS

Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that higher 24-hour systolic BP (SBP), daytime, night-time, and clinic SBP were each associated with subsequent renal (hazard ratio, 1.17-1.28; P<0.001) and cardiovascular outcomes (hazard ratio, 1.22-1.32; P<0.001). After controlling for clinic SBP, ABP measures were predictive of renal outcomes in participants with clinic SBP <130 mmHg (P<0.05 for interaction). ABP predicted cardiovascular outcomes with no interaction based on clinic BP control.

CONCLUSIONS

ABP provides additional information beyond that of multiple clinic BP measures in predicting renal and cardiovascular outcomes in African Americans with hypertensive CKD. The primary utility of ABP in these CKD patients was to identify high-risk individuals among those patients with controlled clinic BP.

Sleep and vascular disorders

It is not surprising that cardiovascular diseases such as congestive heart failure and coronary insufficiency can give rise to varying degrees of sleep impairment; it is less readily appreciated that certain physiologic events occurring during sleep-as well as long-term unsatisfactory sleep-may cause or increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, and cardiac arrythmias. Heart rate abnormalities during sleep in normotensive subjects predict later cardiovascular disease, and their early identification alerts the physician to undertake preventive measures. Maneuvers, such as induction of hypoxia, can elicit abnormal blood pressure responses during sleep, and such responses have been used to identify impending cardiovascular problems that could become therapeutic targets. The spontaneously hypertensive rat has been used to examine the effect of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity on the heart under a variety of experimental conditions, including quiet and paradoxical sleep. The results have disclosed significant differences between the responses of spontaneously hypertensive rats and normal rats to SNS stimulation. Exploration of other pathophysiologic pathways affected by exposure to light and dark, including those responsive to the cyclic production of melatonin, will improve our understanding of the effect of disruptions of the circadian cycle on cardiovascular function. There is growing evidence that melatonin can influence important processes such as fluid, nitrogen, and acid-base balance. Human subjects whose nocturnal arterial blood pressure fails to show the "normal" decrement during sleep ("nondippers") are also prone to sleep poorly, exhibit increased SNS activity during sleep, and have an increased risk of total and cardiovascular disease mortality. Chronic sleep deficit is now known to be a risk factor for obesity and may contribute to the visceral form of obesity that underlies the metabolic syndrome. The rising prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea is linked to the modern-day epidemic of obesity. Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an enhanced risk of having a new stroke or a transient ischemic attack.

Reduced nocturnal blood pressure dip and sustained nighttime hypertension are specific markers of secondary hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To investigate with the use of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring whether nocturnal BP dip and nighttime BP values are different in children with untreated primary and secondary hypertension.

STUDY DESIGN

Ambulatory BP monitoring studies from 145 children with untreated hypertension were retrospectively analyzed. Forty-five children had primary hypertension and 100 children had secondary hypertension.

RESULTS

Children with secondary hypertension had lower nocturnal BP dip for systolic and diastolic BP in comparison to children with primary hypertension (8% +/- 5% vs 14% +/- 4% for systolic and 14% +/- 7% vs 22% +/- 5% for diastolic BP, P < .0001 for both). Eleven percent of children with primary hypertension were classified as nondipper (BP dip <10%) for systolic BP and no child for diastolic BP; on the contrary, in children with secondary hypertension, 65% were nondippers for systolic and 21% for diastolic BP. Nocturnal systolic and diastolic BP loads were significantly greater in children with secondary hypertension than in those with primary hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced nocturnal BP dip and sustained nighttime BP elevation are specific markers of secondary hypertension in children with untreated hypertension. Children with blunted nocturnal BP dip or sustained nighttime hypertension should be thoroughly investigated searching for the underlying cause of hypertension.