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Visit-to-visit variability of blood pressure: current knowledge and future research directions

Paul Muntner1, Emily B Levitan

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. pmuntner@uab.edu

Blood Pressure Monitoring
|May 17, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure (BP) is linked to higher cardiovascular risks. This review explores its determinants, outcomes, and research needs for better BP management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hypertension Research
  • Clinical Outcomes

Background:

  • Blood pressure (BP) naturally fluctuates within individuals over time.
  • Historically, visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of BP was considered a measurement challenge.
  • Emerging evidence links high BP VVV to adverse cardiovascular events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current data on the association between BP VVV and cardiovascular outcomes.
  • To identify key determinants contributing to high BP VVV.
  • To discuss methodological considerations and future research directions in BP variability.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on BP VVV and cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Analysis of factors influencing BP VVV, including demographics, medical history, and medication adherence.
  • Examination of methodological challenges in interpreting VVV data and out-of-office BP measurements.

Main Results:

  • Strong associations found between high BP VVV and increased cardiovascular risk.
  • Demographics, medical history, antihypertensive medication classes, and poor adherence are identified as determinants of high VVV.
  • Methodological issues in VVV assessment and interpretation are highlighted.

Conclusions:

  • High BP VVV is a significant predictor of cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms driving high BP VVV.
  • Interventions to lower BP VVV and the utility of routine clinical practice measurements require further investigation.

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