Ambulatory blood pressure measurement in kidney transplantation: an overview

Adequate control of hypertension is among the most important aims of medical management of the kidney transplant recipient, with the aim of reducing the risk of premature cardiovascular disease and preserving graft function. Antihypertensive therapy should be adjusted according to the best available estimates of usual resting blood pressure. If clinic measurements are used, care should be taken to ensure that these measurements are taken under optimal conditions. Home blood pressure monitoring is a useful adjunct in many patients. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring gives valuable additional data; mean ambulatory blood pressure correlates better with markers of target organ damage such as left ventricular hypertrophy. However, current treatment thresholds and targets are based on clinic measurements. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is certainly a useful adjunct to clinic and home blood pressure measurement, but its role in routine clinical practice in the transplant clinic remains to be defined.