Forearm haemodynamics and blood pressure variability in hypertensive patients

Ambulatory blood pressure variability and forearm haemodynamics were measured in 23 untreated hypertensive patients with a mean casual blood pressure of 162/102(11/9) mmHg (without target organ damage). There was a good inverse correlation between blood pressure variability and the ability of the forearm resistance vessels to dilate after a period of venous occlusion. Previous work has shown that this vasodilatory component of the response to forearm venous occlusion is significantly reduced in hypertensive patients compared with normotensive controls and is probably an indicator of the compliance properties of these vessels. The present results suggest that blood pressure variability is greater when resistance vessels are stiffer and emphasise the need to account for this vascular factor in studies of blood pressure behaviour.