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The importance of instability and visit-to-visit variability of blood pressure

Giuseppe Schillaci1, Giacomo Pucci

  • 1Internal Medicine, Angiology and Arteriosclerosis Disease, University of Perugia Medical School, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, piazzale Menghini, 1 IT-06129 Perugia, Italy. skill@unipg.it

Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy
|July 31, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability, often ignored, independently predicts future cardiovascular events in hypertensive and post-stroke patients. Even in nonhypertensives, blood pressure fluctuations signal increased health risks.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) is typically considered noise, confounding the association between long-term average blood pressure and disease.
  • This study investigates the prognostic significance of BPV in various patient populations.

Discussion:

  • BPV is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients.
  • BPV also predicts adverse outcomes in individuals who have survived transient cerebral ischemia.
  • Episodic blood pressure elevations in nonhypertensive individuals may indicate similar prognostic risks.

Key Insights:

  • Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is a significant, independent predictor of cardiovascular events.
  • This finding applies to both hypertensive patients and survivors of transient ischemic attacks.
  • Elevated BPV in nonhypertensive individuals also warrants attention for cardiovascular risk.

Outlook:

  • Further research is needed to confirm if different antihypertensive drug classes differentially impact BPV.
  • Investigating the clinical implications of BPV in nonhypertensive populations is crucial.
  • Understanding and potentially managing BPV could offer new strategies for cardiovascular disease prevention.

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