Ten-year changes in ambulatory blood pressure: The prognostic value of ambulatory pulse pressure

Blood pressure (BP) changes and risk factors associated with pulse pressure (PP) increase in elderly people have rarely been studied using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The aim is to evaluate 10-year ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) changes in older hypertensives, focusing on PP and its associations with mortality. An observational study was conducted on 119 consecutive older treated hypertensives evaluated at baseline (T0) and after 10 years (T1). Treatment adherence was carefully assessed. The authors considered clinical parameters at T1 only in survivors (n = 87). Patients with controlled ABP both at T0 and T1 were considered as having sustained BP control. Change in 24-hour PP between T0 and T1 (Δ24-hour PP) was considered for the analyses. Mean age at T0: 69.4 ± 3.7 years. Females: 57.5%. Significant decrease in 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime diastolic BP (all P < .05) coupled with an increase in 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime PP (all P < .05) were observed at T1. Sustained daytime BP control was associated with lower 24-hour PP increase than nonsustained daytime BP control (+2.23 ± 9.36 vs +7.79 ± 8.64 mm Hg; P = .037). The association between sustained daytime BP control and Δ24-hour PP remained significant even after adjusting for age, sex, and 24-hour PP at T0 (β=0.39; P = .035). Both 24-hour systolic BP and 24-hour PP at T0 predicted mortality (adjusted HR 1.07, P = .001; adjusted HR 1.25, P < .001, respectively). After ROC comparison (P = .001), 24-hour PP better predicted mortality than 24-hour systolic BP. The data confirm how ABP control affects vascular aging leading to PP increase. Both ambulatory PP and systolic BP rather than diastolic BP predict mortality in older treated hypertensives.