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Independent association between age and circadian systolic blood pressure patterns in adults with hypertension
Ming Deng1, Da-Wei Chen1, Yi-Fei Dong1,2
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Insights
Age independently correlates with blood pressure dipping in hypertensive adults. Older individuals showed reduced nocturnal blood pressure drop, while younger patients exhibited greater dipping, regardless of other health factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hypertension Research
- Circadian Biology
Background:
- Preliminary associations exist between age and circadian blood pressure (BP) variation.
- Confounding factors in real-world populations may affect this relationship.
- The independent association requires investigation in hypertensive adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if age has an independent association with circadian BP variation in hypertensive adults.
- To analyze BP dipping patterns in relation to age.
- To identify age as a predictor of nocturnal BP drop.
Main Methods:
- Utilized clinical data and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring from 297 hypertensive adults.
- Categorized BP dipping patterns based on nocturnal BP drop percentage.
- Employed multivariate linear regression analysis to assess correlations.
Main Results:
- An independent correlation was found between age and nocturnal systolic BP drop (β=-7.296; P<.001).
- Reverse dippers were significantly older, while extreme dippers were younger.
- Age differences persisted across four BP dipping patterns after adjusting for multiple covariates.
Conclusions:
- Age is an independent predictor of BP dipping patterns in hypertensive individuals.
- Older hypertensive adults are more likely to be non-dippers.
- Understanding this age-related pattern is crucial for hypertension management.
Abstract:
Previous studies indicate a preliminary association between age and circadian blood pressure (BP) variation. This association would be affected by confounding factors in real-world populations. The authors investigated whether this is a convincingly independent association in a real-world population of adults with hypertension. Clinical data and findings of 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring were obtained from 297 consecutive adults with hypertension (60.19±0.77 years). BP dipping patterns were categorized based on the percentage of nocturnal BP drop. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified an independent correlation between age and percentage of nocturnal systolic BPdrop (β=-7.296; 95% CI, -10.430 to -4.162 [P<.001]). Reverse dippers were the oldest and extreme dippers were the youngest. A significant age difference was noted among patients grouped into four BP dipping patterns with and without adjustments for sex, body mass index, drugs, diabetes mellitus, smoking, 24-hour mean heart rate, and 24-hour mean systolic and diastolic BP.
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