Short-term blood pressure variability, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular events: results from the Bordeaux cohort

Within-visit blood pressure variability in children and adolescents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2020)

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure (BP) varies depending on several factors. The objective of our study was to describe within-visit BP variability (BPV) in healthy children and compare BPV between manual and automated BP readings.

METHODS

We included individuals aged 8-17 years with three BP readings from NHANES 2013-2020 cycles. From 2013 to 2016, BP was obtained using auscultation (manual protocol, MP) and, subsequently, using oscillometry (automated protocol, AP). We excluded individuals with DBP 'zero'.

RESULTS

In 5656 individuals [MP group: 3365 (59.5%); AP group: 2291 (40.5%]), a ΔBP (difference between highest and lowest of three BP readings) at least 5 mmHg was noted in 49.1 and 60.7% of individuals for SBP and DBP, respectively. ΔDBP at least 10 mmHg was twice as common in the MP group as in the AP group. ΔDBP at least 20 mmHg was observed in 4.4% individuals. A difference of at least 5 mmHg between the initial and averaged second and third BP readings was noted in 24.9 and 34.5% of individuals for SBP and DBP, respectively. The highest of three BP readings was the first, second, or third in 44.2, 30.5, and 25.4% of individuals, for SBP, and 42.4, 29.8, and 27.7%, for DBP respectively.

CONCLUSION

Less than half of individuals had three DBP readings within 5 mmHg and some had ΔBP at least 20 mmHg. Initial BP is not always the highest; inclusion of the second and third BP readings may be more representative of the individual's actual BP. DBPV was higher with manual than with automated BP measurement.

Efficacy and Safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills Combined with Amlodipine in Treatment of Hypertensive Patients with Blood Deficiency and Gan-Yang Hyperactivity: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension.

METHODS

This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups.

RESULTS

A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).

Uncover visit-to-visit blood pressure variability as the hidden risk factor/predictor for coronary artery disease, stroke and malignant tumor in patients with type 2 diabetes

Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is a factor for a series of cardiovascular diseases in hypertensive patients. Hypertension is a common complication of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Our research demonstrated that blood pressure variability is more important than systolic blood pressure to be associated with the occurrence of coronary artery disease and stroke. However, the importance of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability was easily overlooked. The results aimed to inform the health professionals the significance of stability blood pressure variability in the blood pressure management for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Exploring the link between blood pressure variability and atrial fibrillation: current insights and future directions

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, especially in people over the age of 50, which affects more than 40 million people worldwide. Many studies have highlighted the association between hypertension with the development of AF. Blood pressure variability (BPV) is a dynamic size obtained by recording blood pressure oscillations using specific readings and at specific time intervals. A multitude of internal and external factors shape BPV while at the same time constituting a common pathogenetic pathway with the development of AF. Until recently, BPV has been applied exclusively in preclinical and clinical studies, without significant implications in clinical practice. Indeed, even from the research side, the determination of BPV is limited to patients without AF due to doubts about the accuracy of its measurement methods in patients with AF. In this review, we present the current evidence on common pathogenic pathways between BPV and AF, the reliability of quantification of BPV in patients with AF, the prognostic role of BPV in these patients, and discuss the future clinical implications of BPV in patients with AF.

Blood pressure fragmentation as a new measure of blood pressure variability: association with predictors of cardiac surgery outcomes

Background: Fluctuations in beat-to-beat blood pressure variability (BPV) encode untapped information of clinical utility. A need exists for developing new methods to quantify the dynamical properties of these fluctuations beyond their mean and variance. Objectives: Introduction of a new beat-to-beat BPV measure, termed blood pressure fragmentation (BPF), and testing of whether increased preoperative BPF is associated with (i) older age; (ii) higher cardiac surgical risk, assessed using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' (STS) Risk of Morbidity and Mortality index and the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation Score (EuroSCORE II); and (iii) longer ICU length of stay (LOS) following cardiac surgery. The secondary objective was to use standard BPV measures, specifically, mean, SD, coefficient of variation (CV), average real variability (ARV), as well a short-term scaling index, the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) ⍺1 exponent, in the same type of analyses to compare the results with those obtained using BPF. Methods: Consecutive sample of 497 adult patients (72% male; age, median [inter-quartile range]: 67 [59-75] years) undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Fragmentation, standard BPV and DFA ⍺1 measures were derived from preoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP) time series obtained from radial artery recordings. Results: Increased preoperative systolic BPF was associated with older age, higher STS Risk of Morbidity and Mortality and EuroSCORE II values, and longer ICU LOS in all models. Specifically, a one-SD increase in systolic BPF (9%) was associated with a 26% (13%-40%) higher likelihood of longer ICU LOS (>2 days). Among the other measures, only ARV and DFA ⍺1 tended to be associated with longer ICU LOS. However, the associations did not reach significance in the most adjusted models. Conclusion: Preoperative BPF was significantly associated with preoperative predictors of cardiac surgical outcomes as well as with ICU LOS. Our findings encourage future studies of preoperative BPF for assessment of health status and risk stratification of surgical and non-surgical patients.

Association of blood pressure variability and CT-based Leiden score in hypertension patients

Background

Blood pressure variability (BPV) obtained from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been demonstrated to accurately predict the risk of cerebrovascular events and death in hypertension patients, however, the association between BPV and the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque remains unclear.

Methods

Patients with hypertension combined with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were collected, who underwent both ABPM and coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) from December 2017 to March 2022. Patients were divided into three groups according to the Leiden score: low-risk group (Leiden score <5), medium-risk group (Leiden score 5-20), and high-risk group (Leiden score >20). The clinical characteristics of patients were collected and analyzed. Univariate Pearson correlation and multivariate Logistics regression were used to determine the association between BPV and the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.

Results

A total of 783 patients were included, with the average age of (62.85 ± 10.17) years and 523 males. Patients in the high-risk group had higher mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), nighttime mean SBP and SBP variability (P < 0.05). Leiden score with low risk was associated with 24 h-SBP variability (r = 0.35, P = 0.006) and 24 h-diastolic blood pressure (DBP) loading (r = -0.18, P = 0.027). Leiden score with medium and high risk was associated with nighttime mean SBP (r = 0.23, P = 0.005), 24 h-SBP variability (r = 0.32, P = 0.003), and the decrease of nighttime SBP (r = 0.24, P = 0.019). Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 1.014, 95% confidential interval (CI): 1.0-1.07, P = 0.03], diabetes (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.10-2.26, P = 0.01) and 24 h-SBP variability (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01-2.46, P = 0.01) were independently associated with Leiden score with medium and high risk.

Conclusion

Larger SBP variability in hypertensive patients indicates the higher Leiden score and consequently the more serious coronary atherosclerotic plaque. Monitoring SBP variability has certain significance for predicting the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque and preventing its progression.

High night-to-night variability in sleep apnea severity is associated with uncontrolled hypertension

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity can vary markedly from night-to-night. However, the impact of night-to-night variability in OSA severity on key cardiovascular outcomes such as hypertension is unknown. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to determine the effects of night-to-night variability in OSA severity on hypertension likelihood. This study uses in-home monitoring of 15,526 adults with ~180 nights per participant with an under-mattress sleep sensor device, plus ~30 repeat blood pressure measures. OSA severity is defined from the mean estimated apnea-hypopnoea index (AHI) over the ~6-month recording period for each participant. Night-to-night variability in severity is determined from the standard deviation of the estimated AHI across recording nights. Uncontrolled hypertension is defined as mean systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or mean diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. Regression analyses are performed adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. A total of 12,287 participants (12% female) are included in the analyses. Participants in the highest night-to-night variability quartile within each OSA severity category, have a 50-70% increase in uncontrolled hypertension likelihood versus the lowest variability quartile, independent of OSA severity. This study demonstrates that high night-to-night variability in OSA severity is a predictor of uncontrolled hypertension, independent of OSA severity. These findings have important implications for the identification of which OSA patients are most at risk of cardiovascular harm.

Association of disrupted sleep with 24-hour blood pressure variability in caregivers

BACKGROUND

A growing body of research highlights the negative impact of caregiving on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine associations of psychological symptoms and sleep quality with 24-hour blood pressure variability (BPV), which is an independent predictor of CVD, among family caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with chronic illness.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, we assessed caregiving burden and depressive symptoms using questionnaires and 7-day sleep quality (i.e., number of awakenings, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency) using an actigraph. The participants carried out a 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring for systolic and diastolic BPV over 24 h and during awake/sleep times. We performed Pearson's correlations and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

The analytic sample consisted of 30 caregivers (25 female; mean age 62 years). The number of awakenings during sleep was positively correlated with systolic BPV-awake (r = 0.426, p = 0.019) and diastolic BPV-awake (r = 0.422, p = 0.020). Sleep efficiency was negatively correlated with diastolic BPV-awake (r = -0.368, p = 0.045). Caregiving burden and depressive symptoms were not correlated with BPV. After controlling for age and mean arterial pressure, the number of awakenings was significantly associated with increased systolic BPV-24 h (β = 0.194, p = 0.018) and systolic BPV-awake (β = 0.280, p = 0.002), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregivers' disrupted sleep may play a role in increased CVD risk. While these findings should be confirmed in large clinical studies, improving sleep quality would need to be considered in CVD prevention for caregivers.

Concurrent Aerobic Plus Resistance Training Elicits Different Effects on Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability of Hypertensive Patients in Relation to Their Nocturnal Blood Pressure Pattern

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week concurrent training (CT) (i.e., aerobic plus resistance exercise) on short–term blood pressure variability (BPV) and BP values in hypertensive patients with non-dippper BP nocturnal pattern and underlying coronary artery disease. Material and Methods: The study included 72 consecutive patients who were divided into two groups according to the nocturnal BP pattern: dipping pattern (33 pts) and non-dipping (39 pts). Before starting CT and at 12 weeks, patients underwent the six minute walk test, ergometric test, assessment of 1-repetiton maximum (1 RM), and 24/h BP monitoring (24-h ABPM). Results: After CT, exercise capacity increased in both groups in a similar fashion. Twenty-four/h systolic BPV and daytime systolic BPV decreased significantly in the dipping group while they were unchanged in the non-dipping group (between groups changes: −1.0 ± 0.4 mmHg and −1.3 ± 0.9 mmHg; p = 0.02 and p = 0.006, respectively). Twenty-four/h systolic BP and daytime systolic BP decreased significantly in the dipping group while they were unchanged in the non-dipping group (between groups changes: −7.1 ± 2.6 mmHg and −7.8 ± 2.4 mmHg; p = 0.004 and p = 0.002, respectively). Nighttime systolic BP and BPV was unchanged in both groups. Twenty-four/h diastolic BP presented small but not significant changes in both groups. Conclusions: The effects of CT on BPV and BP were blunted in hypertensive subjects with a non-dipping BP pattern.

Association of ambulatory blood pressure with aortic valve and coronary artery calcification

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the effect of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) on aortic valve calcification (AVC) and coronary artery calcification (CAC), which are subclinical atherosclerotic diseases.

METHODS

In this population-based, cross-sectional study, we assessed office BP, mean ambulatory BP (24-h, awake, and asleep), and variability of ambulatory BP, as determined by the coefficient of variation (awake and asleep). AVC and CAC were quantified using an Agatston score (>0) based on computed tomography scanning. We calculated relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with a 1-standard deviation increment in each BP index for the presence of AVC and CAC using a multivariate-adjusted Poisson regression with robust error variance.

RESULTS

Of 483 participants (mean age: 66.8 years), 154 (31.9%) and 310 (64.2%) had AVC and CAC, respectively. The presence of AVC was associated with office systolic BP (SBP; RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03-1.28), awake diastolic BP (DBP) variability (RR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25), and asleep SBP variability (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03-1.27). The presence of CAC was associated with office SBP (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.15), mean 24-h SBP (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.16), mean awake SBP (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17), mean asleep SBP (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13), and asleep SBP variability (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13).

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the association of ambulatory BP indices with both AVC and CAC, but with different effects on their presences.

Effects of Concurrent Aerobic Plus Resistance Training on Blood Pressure Variability and Blood Pressure Values in Patients with Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease: Gender-Related Differences

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in blood pressure variability (BPV) and blood pressure (BP) values occurring in response to concurrent training (CT) between the two genders. A total of 35 males and 20 women aged 55–80 years, with hypertension and coronary artery disease, were included. They underwent a 12-week CT program. The aerobic component of CT was performed according to the rate of perceived exertion while the intensity of the resistance component was set at 60% of 1 repetition maximum for the first 4 weeks and then increased to 80%. BP and BPV were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the CT program through 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. After 12-weeks, 24 h and daytime systolic BPV decreased in both men and women without significant between-groups differences. Twenty-four-hour daytime and nighttime diastolic BPV decreased in both genders with a significantly greater decrease in women compared to men. Twenty-four-hour daytime systolic and 24 h diastolic BP decreased in men while they were unchanged in women. In conclusion, CT induced similar reductions of systolic BPV in men and women and a greater decrease in diastolic BPV in women. Conversely, CT decreased BP values in males but not in females. CT appears to be an effective intervention for reducing BPV in both genders.

Association between Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaque Vulnerability: A High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Aim: short-term blood pressure variability (BPV) as a risk factor of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events has been investigated. However, its association with atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability remains unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the association between short-term BPV and intracranial atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability.

Methods: this is a cross-sectional analysis of 267 ischemic stroke patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (mean age, 65±12 years old; 60.3% male), which were prospectively recruited in a comprehensive stroke center. Systolic and diastolic BP SD, CV, and BP variability ratio (BPVR) from 24 hours, daytime, and nighttime were calculated from 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, intracranial atherosclerotic plaque burden and vulnerability were evaluated by high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. Logistic regression analysis was used to locate the correlation between short-term BPV and plaque vulnerability.

Results: a total of 36.3% subjects presented with intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) in this study. Multivariate logistic regression suggested that nighttime diastolic BP CV and 24-h BPVR were associated with intracranial IPH independently after adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for per SD BPV changes were 1.418 (1.051, 1.914) and 0.731 (0.548, 0.976), respectively, and this association also independent of atherosclerosis burden and 24-h mean systolic BP level. Further subgroup analysis by age and hypertension history demonstrated that the statistical correlation could only establish in the elder, and subjects with hypertension.

Conclusion: nighttime diastolic BP CV and 24-h BPVR were associated with intracranial IPH independently, especially in the elderly and subjects with hypertension.