White-coat hypertension in adults

Interpretation of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for Risk Stratification in Hypertensive Patients: The 'Ambulatory Does Prediction Valid (ADPV)' Approach

Several outcome-based prospective investigations have provided solid data which support the prognostic value of 24 h ambulatory blood pressure over and beyond cardiovascular traditional risk factors. Average 24 h, daytime, and nighttime blood pressures are the principal components of the ambulatory blood pressure profile that have improved cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional risk factors. Furthermore, several additional ambulatory blood pressure measures have been investigated. The correct interpretation in clinical practice of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring needs a standardization of methods. Several algorithms for its clinical use have been proposed. Implementation of the results of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the management of individual subjects with the aim of improving risk stratification is challenging. We suggest that clinicians should focus attention on ambulatory blood pressure components which have been proven to act as the main independent predictors of outcome (average 24 h, daytime, and nighttime blood pressure, pulse pressure, dipping status, BP variability).

mRNA Metabolism and Hypertension

Hypertension is the most frequent cardiovascular risk factor all over the world. It remains a leading contributor to the risk of cardiovascular events and death. In the year 2015, about 1.5 billion of adult people worldwide had hypertension (as defined by office systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or office diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg). Moreover, the number of hypertensive patients with age ranging from 30 to 79 years doubled in the last 30 years (from 317 million men and 331 million women in the year 1990 to 652 million men and 626 million women in 2019) despite stable age-standardized prevalence worldwide. Despite such impressive growth, the proportion of controlled hypertension is very low. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension may contribute to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. In this context, alterations of the messenger RNA metabolism have been recently evaluated as contributors to the pathogenesis of hypertension, and pharmacological modulation of RNA metabolism is under investigation as potential and novel therapeutic armamentarium in hypertension.

Current applications and limitations of European guidelines on blood pressure measurement: implications for clinical practice

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular (CV) risk factor, strongly and independently associated with an increased risk of major CV outcomes, including myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, renal disease and death due to CV causes. Effective control of hypertension is of key importance for reducing the risk of hypertension-related CV complications, as well as for reducing the global burden of CV mortality. However, several studies reported relatively poor rates of control of high blood pressure (BP) in a setting of real-life practice. To improve hypertension management and control, national and international scientific societies proposed several educational and therapeutic interventions, among which the systematic implementation of out-of-office BP measurements represents a key element. Indeed, proper assessment of individual BP profile, including home, clinic and 24-h ambulatory BP levels, may improve awareness of the disease, ensure high level of adherence to prescribed medications in treated hypertensive patients, and thus contribute to ameliorate BP control in treated hypertensive outpatients. In line with these purposes, recent European guidelines have released practical recommendations and clear indications on how, when and how properly measuring BP levels in different clinical settings, with different techniques and different methods. This review aimed at discussing current applications and potential limitations of European guidelines on how to measure BP in office and out-of-office conditions, and their potential implications in the daily clinical management of hypertension.

Hypertension

Recent guidelines on diagnosis and management of high blood pressure (BP) include substantial changes and several new concepts compared with previous guidelines. These are reviewed and their clinical implications are discussed in this article. The goal is to provide a practical reference to assist clinicians with up-to-date management of patients with high BP. Important issues include new diagnostic thresholds, out-of-office BP monitoring, intensified treatment goals, and a different approach to resistant hypertension. Finally, differences among guidelines, the persistent controversies that have led to them, and their implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Prevalence and clinical outcomes of white-coat and masked hypertension: Analysis of a large ambulatory blood pressure database

The aim of this study was to analyze prevalence and clinical outcomes of the following clinical conditions: normotension (NT; clinic BP < 140/90 mm Hg; 24-hour BP < 130/80 mm Hg), white-coat hypertension (WCHT; clinic BP ≥ 140 and/or ≥90 mm Hg; 24-hour BP < 130/80 mm Hg), masked hypertension (MHT; clinic BP < 140/90 mm Hg; 24-hour BP ≥ 130 and/or ≥80 mm Hg), and sustained hypertension (SHT; clinic BP ≥ 140 and/or ≥90 mm Hg; 24-hour BP ≥ 130 and/or ≥80 mm Hg) in a large cohort of adult untreated individuals. Systematic research throughout the medical database of Regione Lazio (Italy) was performed to estimate incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and hospitalizations for HT and heart failure (HF). Among a total study sample of 2209 outpatients, 377 (17.1%) had NT, 351 (15.9%) had WCHT, 149 (6.7%) had MHT, and 1332 had (60.3%) SHT. During an average follow-up of 120.1 ± 73.9 months, WCHT was associated with increased risk of hospitalization for HT (OR 95% CI: 1.927 [1.233-3.013]; P = .04) and HF (OR 95% CI: 3.449 [1.321-9.007]; P = .011). MHT was associated with an increased risk of MI (OR 95% CI: 5.062 [2.218-11.550]; P < .001), hospitalization for HT (OR 95% CI: 2.553 [1.446-4.508]; P = .001), and for HF (OR 95% CI: 4.214 [1.449-12.249]; P = .008). These effects remained statistically significant event after corrections for confounding factors including age, BMI, gender, smoking, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and presence of antihypertensive therapies.

Photographic art in exam rooms may reduce white coat hypertension

INTRODUCTION

Blood pressure (BP) elevation in medical office settings in patients who are normotensive in nonmedical settings is an effect known as 'white coat hypertension'. This phenomenon is thought to be due to situational anxiety caused by the experience of visiting a doctor and the anxiety-inducing nature of the medical office. Our study was designed to determine if carefully selected photographic art could counter the anxiety that causes white coat hypertension and lead to lower BP recordings in some patients.

METHODS

117 adults, non-pregnant patients from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Family Medicine Resident Clinic participated in this study. After the triage nurse measured the BP, the patients were randomly placed in either an exam room with standard medical posters (control room) or in an exam room with photographic art (photo room). The BP was measured in the exam room. After the medical visit, the patients switched rooms and the BP was measured a third time. The patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire to identify room preference.

RESULTS

On average, the BP obtained in the control rooms was higher than that obtained in the photo rooms. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean arterial pressure, systolic BP and diastolic BP between the control room and the photo room.

CONCLUSIONS

Landscape photographic art may have the beneficial effect of reducing BP in medical office examination rooms.

Diagnostic value and cost-benefit analysis of 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in primary care in Portugal

Background

Hypertensive patients (HTs) are usually attended in primary care (PC). We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy and cost-benefit ratio of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in all newly diagnosed hypertensive patients (HTs) attended in PC.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study ABPM was recorded in all 336 never treated HTs (Office BP ≥140 and/or ≥ 90 mm Hg) that were admitted during 16 months. Since benefits from drug treatment in white-coat hypertension (WCH) remain unproven, a cost benefit estimation of a general use of ABPM (vs absence of ABPM) in HTs was calculated comparing the cost of usual medical assistance of HTs only diagnosed in office with that based both on refraining from drug treatment all subjects identified as WCH and on the reduction by half of the frequency of biochemical exams and doctor visits.

Results

Women were 56%, age 51 ± 14 years and BMI 27 ± 4 Kg/m2. Out of these, 206 were considered as true HTs, daytime ABPM ≥ 135 and/or ≥85 mm Hg and 130 (38,7%) were identified as having white coat hypertension (WCH), daytime ABPM <135/85 mm Hg. Versus HTs, WCH group showed higher percentage of women (68% vs 51%) and lower values of an index composed by the association of cardiovascular risk factors. We estimated that with ABPM total medical expenses can be reduced by 23% (157.500 euros) with a strategy based on ABPM for 1000 patients followed for 2 years.

Conclusions

In PC, the widespread use of ABPM in newly diagnosed HTs increases diagnostic accuracy of hypertension, improves cardiovascular risk stratification, reduces health expenses showing a highly favourable benefit-cost ratio vs a strategy without ABPM.

Current status on behavioral and biological markers of PTSD: a search for clarity in a conflicting literature

Extensive research has identified stereotypic behavioral and biological abnormalities in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as heightened autonomic activity, an exaggerated startle response, reduced basal cortisol levels and cognitive impairments. We have reviewed primary research in this area, noting that factors involved in the susceptibility and expression of PTSD symptoms are more complex and heterogeneous than is commonly stated, with extensive findings which are inconsistent with the stereotypic behavioral and biological profile of the PTSD patient. A thorough assessment of the literature indicates that interactions among myriad susceptibility factors, including social support, early life stress, sex, age, peri- and post-traumatic dissociation, cognitive appraisal of trauma, neuroendocrine abnormalities and gene polymorphisms, in conjunction with the inconsistent expression of the disorder across studies, confounds attempts to characterize PTSD as a monolithic disorder. Overall, our assessment of the literature addresses the great challenge in developing a behavioral and biomarker-based diagnosis of PTSD.

D-dimer in preeclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Preeclampsia is a multifactorial disease characterized by high blood pressure and proteinuria after the 20th week of pregnancy. Preeclampsia is associated with microvasculature fibrin deposition and maternal organ dysfunction. D-dimer (D-Di) has been used as a marker of production/degradation of fibrin in vivo. D-Di has emerged as a useful diagnostic tool for thrombotic conditions because its plasma concentration has a high negative predictive value for venous thromboembolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate publications that assessed plasma D-Di in preeclampsia and normotensive pregnant subjects to define its diagnostic value. A total of 194 publications were identified. Following the exclusion process, seven studies were in accordance with the pre-defined eligibility criteria. This systematic review was performed with methodologic accuracy, including a careful definition of preeclampsia and a high sensitivity literature search strategy. Quality of the included studies was assessed in accordance with widely accepted literature recommendations. Our meta-analysis indicates that increased plasma D-Di is associated with preeclampsia in the third trimester of gestation vs normotensive pregnant subjects. These preliminary findings in this select group of patients clearly highlight the need for additional comprehensive studies throughout pregnancy, including the establishment of an appropriate cut-off, in order to fully elucidate the diagnostic/prognostic role of D-Di in preeclampsia.

Pre-anesthesia systolic blood pressure increases with age regardless of sex

PURPOSE

Pre-anesthesia hypertension (PAH) is the temporary elevation of blood pressure (BP), compared with normal ambulatory recorded BP or self-measured BP at home, in patients waiting for operation in the operating room (OR) before anesthesia induction. In general, the incidence of sustained hypertension (SH) increases progressively with age and the increase is greater in males than in females. In this study, we investigated the influence of age and sex on PAH.

METHODS

Sampling data on consecutive patients who were more than 20 years old and who had undergone surgery under general, intrathecal, or epidural anesthesia were retrospectively collected from hospital records and anesthesia records. Patients with SH, which was defined as a past history of hypertension and taking oral antihypertensive medications, were excluded from the analyses, and the data of 231 patients, 102 males and 129 females, were used for the analyses.

RESULTS

The proportions of male and female patients with a systolic BP (sBP) of more than 140 mmHg in the OR before anesthesia induction were 55.9 and 42.6%, respectively. The proportions of male and female patients with a diastolic BP (dBP) of more than 90 mmHg were 34.3 and 23.3%, respectively. There was no difference in the proportions of male and female patients with PAH. The differences in sBP between measurements in the hospital room (HR) before the operation and those in the OR (ΔsBP) in males and females were 22.9 ± 25.6 and 19.0 ± 24.0 mmHg, respectively. The differences in dBP between measurements in the HR and those in the OR (ΔdBP) in males and females were 12.7 ± 16.5 and 8.4 ± 17.9 mmHg, respectively. There were no differences in ΔsBP and ΔdBP between males and females. The sBP in the OR and the ΔsBP increased significantly with age in both males and females.

CONCLUSION

Age is an important clinical factor related to PAH. Pre-anesthesia sBP and the change in pre-anesthesia sBP increase progressively with age regardless of sex. These findings suggest that the higher BP seen in the elderly in the OR before anesthesia induction, as reported previously, might be explained in part by a greater impact of PAH in older people.

Atrial electromechanical coupling interval and P-wave dispersion in patients with white coat hypertension

BACKGROUND

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of white coat hypertension (WCH) to atrial conduction abnormalities by electrocardiographic P-wave analysis and echocardiographic electromechanical coupling (EMC) interval measurement.

METHODS

The study consisted of sex-, age-, and body mass index-matched 24 patients with WCH, 24 patients with sustained hypertension (SH), and 24 subjects with normotension (NT). The difference between the maximum (Pmax) and minimum P-wave durations on 12-lead electrocardiography was defined as P-wave dispersion (PD). Intra- and inter-atrial EMC were measured by tissue Doppler imaging.

RESULTS

Pmax and PD of subjects with WCH were significantly higher than those of normotensives and lower than those of patients with SH. Inter-atrial EMC and left atrial EMC values of WCH group were intermediate between NT and SH groups. There was a significant correlation between left atrial diameter, PD, Pmax, left ventricle mass index, left atrial EMC, and inter-atrial EMC.

CONCLUSION

White coat hypertension is an intermediate group between SH and NT in terms of atrial electromechanical abnormalities which may be associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation.

White-coat hypertension in the elderly. Echocardiographic analysis. A substudy of the EPICARDIAN project

The aims of this study were to investigate echocardiographic abnormalities in the elderly and to evaluate differences between those who are normotensive and those who have white-coat hypertension or sustained hypertension. The study used data on a subsample of participants in the EPICARDIAN project who came from the Lista district of Madrid, Spain. Of the 271 included, 61 (22.5%) were normotensive, 81 (29.9%) had white-coat hypertension and 129 (49.6%) had sustained hypertension. The left ventricular mass index was significantly different between the subgroups: 94.9 g/m2 in normotensives, 125.6 g/m2 in those with white-coat hypertension and 136.3 g/m2 in those with sustained hypertension (P< .001). The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, defined using Deveraux's criteria, was 13.2% in normotensives, 49.1% in those with white-coat hypertension and 54.3% in those with sustained hypertension (P=.00007). White-coat hypertension is not a innocuous finding in the elderly because its implications for cardiac health are closer to those of sustained hypertension than to those of normal blood pressure.

Discarding the first of three nurse-auscultatory or oscillometric blood pressure measurements does not improve the association of office blood pressure with ABPM

OBJECTIVE

Guidelines for office blood pressure (BP) measurements recommend two or more readings at each visit. It has been suggested that discarding the first reading may improve the diagnostic utility of office readings. We compare two methods of office BP measurement to determine whether discarding the first BP affects their association with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) readings.

METHODS

We studied measurements in 313 mildly hypertensive patients (181 men, median age 51 years) at the end of the washout phase of a hypertension treatment trial. All patients had three auscultatory readings by a trained nurse using a mercury manometer before a 24-h ABPM and three automated readings (Omron 705 CP) to American Heart Association standards after ABPM. Daytime ABPM (09:00-21:00) of systolic BP and diastolic BP were compared with office methods using first only, second and third only, and all three readings. Associations were assessed using Bland-Altman plots and Pearson's correlations.

RESULTS

Bland-Altman plots revealed no differences between office methods and daytime ABPM regardless of whether the first reading was included or discarded. Results were similar for both systolic BP and diastolic BP. The Pearson correlations of office method readings with ABPM readings were lowest using the first measurement alone; however, discarding the first measurement did not improve the correlation compared with using all three readings.

CONCLUSION

Discarding the first office BP reading does not change the association of office BP with ABPM or improve the correlation with ABPM values in hypertensive patients.

[Blood pressure monitors in primary healthcare centres]

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure monitoring is one of the most common procedures in clinical medicine. Evaluation and treatment of hypertension are costly and have considerable implications for the individuals involved. Mercury manometers have been dominant for a century, but are currently being replaced by other types of equipment. No national guidelines/recommendations exist on types of blood pressure monitors to be used. The aim of this study was to assess the types of blood pressure monitors used in Norwegian general practice, and to what extent routines have been established for control and calibration of the equipment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In 2007, a questionnaire was distributed to 65 university-affiliated primary healthcare centres in Mid-Norway. The questions included what type of blood pressure monitors are in use and whether routines exist for calibration of them.

RESULTS

45 healthcare centres with a total of 173 general practitioners (corresponding to 74 % of the doctors) responded. 18 (6 %) of the 320 monitors identified were of the mercury type, the rest were aneroid or oscillometric. Many centres had 24-hour monitors. Two healthcare centres (4 % of the doctors) had established routines for calibration of their blood pressure monitors.

INTERPRETATION

Routines should be established for quality assurance of blood pressure monitors in Norwegian primary healthcare services.

Cardiovascular risk stratification in unselected primary care patients with newly detected arterial hypertension

Cardiovascular risk (CVR) stratification in patients with arterial hypertension is essential. Few data are available on CVR factors (CVRFs), hypertensive target organ damage (TOD) and overall CVR in medical outpatients with newly detected arterial hypertension. General medical patients entering the Medical Outpatient Department of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, were screened for elevated office blood pressure (OBP of >140/90 mm Hg). Patients with newly detected arterial hypertension (elevated OBP at two consultations) underwent a work-up that included fundoscopy, urinalysis, ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring, ECG and echocardiography. CVR was calculated according to the 1999/2003 World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) guidelines. A total of 2615 outpatients were screened. Of 580 patients with elevated first OPB, 207 were treated for hypertension, 98 refused to participate, 8 were early dropouts and 36 had a normal second OBP. Data from 212 patients were analyzed (mean age 53+/-14 years). The first and second OBP readings were 162+/-6/100+/-6 and 153+/-14/96+/-9 mm Hg, respectively. Mean ABP was 134+/-12/83+/-9 mm Hg, and sustained hypertension was found in 76.9% of patients. Among patients with hypertension according to OPB monitoring, 61.3% had 1 or 2 CVRFs, and 33.0% had >or=3 CVRFs. Evidence of TOD, diabetes or associated clinical conditions (ACCs), such as renal or cardiovascular disease, was found in 26.4, 5.6 and 7.1% of patients, respectively. In terms of CVR, 2.4% of patients were at low risk, 25.9% at medium risk and 71.7% at high risk. No differences existed between white coat and sustained hypertensives regarding CVRFs, TOD or ACCs. Comprehensive analysis in patients with newly detected arterial hypertension revealed a surprisingly high prevalence of CVRFs, TOD and ACCs, indicating high CVR in the majority of these patients.

Orienting-Defense Responses and Psychophysiological Reactivity in Isolated Clinic versus Sustained Hypertension

This study sought to determine whether patients with white-coat or isolated clinic hypertension (ICH) show, in comparison to patients with sustained hypertension (SH), a defense response pattern to novel stimuli and an enhanced psychophysiological reactivity to stress. Forty-three patients with essential hypertension were divided into two groups after 16 days of self-monitoring blood pressure (BP): ICH (24 men; self-measured BP < 135/85 mmHg) and SH (19 men; self-measured BP >or= 135/85 mmHg). Defense responses were measured as the cardiac changes to phasic non-aversive auditory stimuli. Psychophysiological reactivity (heart and breath rate, blood volume pulse, electromyography, and skin conductance) was measured during mental arithmetic and video game tasks. The standard deviation of self-measured BPs and the difference between mean BPs at work and at home were used as indicators of cardiovascular reactivity to daily stress. No significant differences were seen in defense responses or psychophysiological reactivity to laboratory or naturally occurring stressors. These results do not support the hypothesis that ICH can be explained in terms of a generalized hyperreactivity to novel or stressful stimuli.

Genetic determinants of hypertension: an update

Hypertension represents a global public health burden. In addition to the rarer Mendelian forms of hypertension, classic genetic studies have documented a significant heritable component to the most common form, essential hypertension (EH). Extensive efforts are under way to elucidate the genetic basis of this disease. Recently, a new form of Mendelian hypertension has been identified, pharmacogenetic association studies in hypertensive patients have identified novel gene-by-drug interactions, and the first genome-wide association studies of EH have been published. New findings in consomic and congenic rat models also offer new clues to the genetic architecture of this complex phenotype. In this review, the authors summarize and evaluate the most recent findings related to hypertension gene identification.

Target organ damage in "white coat hypertension" and "masked hypertension"

BACKGROUND

In this study we investigated (i) the prevalence of white coat hypertension (WCH) and masked hypertension (MH) in patients who had never been treated earlier with antihypertensive medication, and (ii) the association of these conditions with target organ damage.

METHODS

A total of 1,535 consecutive patients underwent office blood pressure (BP) measurements, 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), echocardiography, and ultrasonography of the carotid arteries. Subjects who showed normotension or hypertension on the basis of both office and ambulatory BP (ABP) measurement were characterized as having confirmed normotension or confirmed hypertension, respectively. WCH was defined as office hypertension with ambulatory normotension, and MH as office normotension with ambulatory hypertension.

RESULTS

WCH was found in 17.9% and MH in 14.5% of the subjects. The prevalence of WCH was significantly higher in subjects with obesity, while the prevalence of MH was significantly higher in normal-weight subjects. The confirmed hypertensive subjects as well as the masked hypertensive subjects had significantly higher left ventricular mass (LVM) (corrected for body surface area) and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) than the confirmed normotensive subjects did (108.9 +/- 30.6, 107.1 +/- 29.1 vs. 101.4 +/- 29.9 g/m(2) and 0.68 +/- 0.16, 0.68 +/- 0.21 vs. 0.63 +/- 0.15 mm, respectively, P < 0.005). White coat hypertensive subjects did not have a significantly higher LVM index than confirmed normotensive subjects (101.5 +/- 25.9 vs. 101.4 +/- 29.9 g/m(2)); they tended to have higher cIMT than the confirmed normotensive subjects, but the difference was not statistically significant (0.67 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.63 +/- 0.15 mm).

CONCLUSIONS

WCH and MH are common conditions in patients who visit hypertension outpatient clinics. Confirmed hypertension and MH are accompanied by increased LVM index and cIMT, even after adjusting for other risk factors.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and target organ damage in pediatrics

The prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents is rising in association with the increasing rate of childhood obesity, and it is associated with early target organ damage. Published guidelines on high blood pressure in children and adolescents, focused on the early and accurate diagnosis of hypertension, resulted in improved ability to identify children with hypertension. Although auscultation using a mercury sphygmomanometer remains the method of choice for evaluation of hypertension in children, accumulating evidence suggests that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a more accurate method for diagnosis, and it is more closely associated with target organ damage. In addition, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a valuable tool in the assessment of white-coat hypertension, and masked hypertension in children and adolescents. Masked hypertension in children and adolescents is associated with a similar risk of target organ damage as in established hypertension.

Proportion of isolated clinical hypertension in primary care settings. Comparison of target organ damage in patients with isolated clinical hypertension and patients with sustained arterial hypertension

The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of isolated clinical hypertension (ICH) in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients, and to compare the incidence of target organ damage (TOD) in ICH and sustained hypertension patients. Participants. In a multi-centre study involving 14 primary care centres in Girona, Spain, 140 researchers recruited 214 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients 15-75 years of age, without history of cardiovascular events. Period of study. 2004-6. Method. Self-blood pressure monitoring (SBPM) and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Evaluation. Anamnesis including blood pressure, physical examination and analysis (creatinine, albumin/creatinine index), electrocardiogram (left ventricular hypertrophy) and retinography (fundus damage). Results. In 129 (60.3%) subjects with sustained hypertension and 85 (39.7%) with ICH, no significant differences were found relative to gender, age, body mass index or blood pressure (155/90 vs 154/90 mmHg, respectively). Cholesterol levels were significant differences between both groups (5.97 mmol/l in sustained hypertension vs 5.64 mmol/l in ICH, p = 0.029). The proportion of ICH was approximately 40%. TOD incidence in sustained hypertensives was similar to that of ICH patients.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a mean to stratify cardiovascular risk

OBJECTIVE

Current hypertension guidelines stress the importance to assess total cardiovascular risk but do not describe precisely how to use ambulatory blood pressures in the cardiovascular risk stratification.

METHOD

We calculated here global cardiovascular risk according to 2003 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines in 127 patients in whom daytime ambulatory blood pressures were recorded and carotid/femoral ultrasonography performed.

RESULTS

The presence of ambulatory blood pressures >or =135/85 mmHg shifted cardiovascular risk to higher categories, as did the presence of hypercholesterolemia and, even more so, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.

CONCLUSION

Further studies are, however, needed to define the position of ambulatory blood pressures in the assessment of cardiovascular risk.

Utility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents

Diagnosis of hypertension is critically dependent on accurate blood pressure measurement. "Accurate" refers to carefully following the guidelines for blood pressure measurement laid out for children and adults to minimize observer and subject errors that commonly occur in clinical blood pressure measurement. Accurate blood pressure measurement is more important in children and adolescents as the misdiagnosis of hypertension may have a life-long adverse impact on insurability and employment. Automated blood pressure measurement offers multiple advantages in achieving high-quality blood pressure determinations by reducing observer errors. The most commonly used form of automated blood pressure measurement is 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM). Information on ABPM in children has grown exponentially over the last decade. Normative data exists for diagnosis of hypertension in children using ABPM including a novel method for determining normal values with the LMS method. There is further information about the utility of different determinants of 24-h blood pressure such as dipping status, morning surge and blood pressure load. ABPM has been able to detect significant differences in blood pressure in many disease states in children including chronic renal failure, polycystic kidney disease, solitary functioning kidney, and after renal transplantation. Increasingly nonambulatory automated blood pressure determinations have been used in management of hypertension in children. Although nonambulatory automated readings lack information about nocturnal blood pressure or blood pressure during daily activity, studies have suggested that home automated blood pressure measurements are a helpful adjunct to the usual office blood pressure reading.