[Study of the 24 hour blood pressure profile in normotensive type I diabetic patients]

A number of studies have shown changes and even an inversion of the diurnal cycle in certain affections: Cushing's syndrome, pheochromocytoma, severe renal failure, autonomous nervous system disorders, pre eclampsia etc.... The authors studied diurnal and nocturnal variations of blood pressure in type I diabetics. Twenty-nine normotensive (WHO criteria) type I diabetics (NTD) average age 34.9 +/- 11 years, with diabetes of 13.6 +/- 8 years standing, and 118 normotensive non-diabetics (NT) aged 20 to 60 years (distributed by decennies according to age and sex) were studied. The systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were recorded at rest in the decubitus position by the phase V indirect auscultatory method and during ambulatory monitoring (automatic Spacelabs no. degrees 90207 device) every 15 minutes during the daytime and 20 minutes during the night. The mean values were studied; the values of the heart rates were identical in the NTD and NT populations. Significant difference in SBP between the Nt and NTD were recorded: during daytime there was no difference either in SBP or DPB; during the night, there was a significant difference in SBP. A study of the day-night differences both in absolute and in relative values (day-night difference with respect to daytime values as a percentage) did not show any statistically significant differences between the two populations. Abnormalities of the 24 hour profile, defined as absence of a 5 mmHg fall in nocturnal BP values, were looked for but there were no differences between the NT and NTD subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)