Blood pressure rhythm and prevalence of vascular events in hypertensive subjects

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Published on: May 3, 2018

A Di Iorio1, E Marini, M Lupinetti

  • 1Department of Medicine and Aging, University of Chieti, Italy.

Age and Ageing
|April 15, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Elderly hypertensive non-dippers show no increased cardiovascular risk, unlike younger individuals. Age significantly impacts day-night blood pressure patterns and the prevalence of non-dipping in hypertension.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hypertension Research
  • Geriatric Medicine

Background:

  • The day-night blood pressure rhythm is crucial in hypertension management.
  • Age-related changes in blood pressure regulation are not fully understood.
  • The non-dipper phenotype is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in younger populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of age on the day-night blood pressure rhythm.
  • To assess the prevalence of vascular events in non-dipper hypertensive patients across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional observational cohort study of 419 hypertensive patients.
  • Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to assess systolic blood pressure (SBP) dipping.
  • Patients categorized as dippers or non-dippers and divided into age subgroups (<65 and ≥65 years).

Main Results:

  • The day-night SBP difference decreased with age; non-dipping was more prevalent in older adults (65.1%) versus younger ones (29.8%).
  • No age-related difference in cerebrovascular events was observed.
  • Cardiovascular events were linked to non-dipping only in younger patients (OR 2.0), not in the elderly.

Conclusions:

  • The non-dipper pattern in hypertension does not elevate cardiovascular risk in elderly individuals.
  • This finding contrasts with the increased risk observed in younger non-dipper hypertensive patients.
  • Age is a significant factor modifying the cardiovascular implications of the non-dipper phenotype.
Abstract

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