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Masked uncontrolled hypertension in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Wenjin Liu1, Liang Wang2, Zhuxing Sun2

  • 1Center for Kidney Disease, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Insights

Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) is common in dialysis patients with controlled predialysis blood pressure, significantly increasing cardiovascular risk. This condition, associated with higher predialysis BP and antihypertensive medication use, elevates pulse wave velocity.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Cardiology
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) is linked to heightened cardiovascular risk in the general population.
  • Understanding MUCH prevalence and impact in dialysis patients is crucial for risk stratification.
  • Dialysis patients often have controlled predialysis blood pressure (BP) but may have masked hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) in dialysis patients.
  • To investigate the association between MUCH and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in this cohort.
  • To identify predictors of MUCH in patients undergoing dialysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 145 dialysis patients with controlled predialysis BP from a larger cohort.
  • Ambulatory BP monitoring and pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement were performed.
  • MUCH was defined using three different criteria based on daytime, nighttime, and total ambulatory BP readings.

Main Results:

  • MUCH prevalence varied from 43.4% to 74.5% depending on the definition used.
  • Antihypertensive medication use (OR≥4.28) and higher predialysis BP were consistent predictors of MUCH.
  • Patients with MUCH exhibited significantly elevated PWV compared to those without MUCH (P≤0.03).

Conclusions:

  • Masked uncontrolled hypertension affects a substantial proportion of dialysis patients with seemingly controlled predialysis BP.
  • MUCH is significantly associated with increased pulse wave velocity, indicating higher cardiovascular risk.
  • Higher predialysis BP and antihypertensive medication use are key indicators for potential MUCH in dialysis patients.

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