[24-hour blood pressure measurement in type-2 diabetic patients with and without nephropathy]

24-hour ambulatory blood-pressure measurements were obtained according to criteria of the German Hypertension League in 61 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients after admission to hospital under clinical routine conditions. 30 patients had no signs of nephropathy; 15 patients showed signs of proteinuria of more than 0.5 g/d and/or renal insufficiency, and 16 patients were on chronic hemodialysis renal replacement therapy. Despite antihypertensive therapy, the majority of NIDDM patients with nephropathy and/or dialysis therapy were hypertensive. Hypertension of non-nephropathic patients showed a better response to therapy. About 50% of all patients with nephropathy had a higher mean arterial blood pressure at night than during the daytime. In about 25% of all diabetics with nephropathy, we found, during night time, an especially pronounced increase of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of more than 5% above the daytime values. Diabetic patients without nephropathy already show a reduced night/daytime variation of blood pressure, however, inverse circadian rhythm as a sign of prognostically non-favorable autonomic neuropathy was found almost exclusively in the nephropathic diabetic patients.