Home device-monitored sleep blood pressure reflects large artery stiffness: the Nagahama study

High sleep blood pressure (BP) has been suggested to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes. To assess the applicability of sleep BP measured using a timer-equipped home device, we investigated the association between home device-measured sleep BP and large artery stiffness.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of a dataset from the Nagahama study (N = 5916), a general population-based cohort study. Home morning BP and sleep BP were measured using a timer-equipped cuff-oscillometric device (HEM-7080IC). Office BP, carotid intima--media thickness (IMT), and brachial--ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured at the follow-up investigation of the Nagahama study.

Sleep hypertension (SBP ≥120 mmHg and/or DBP ≥70 mmHg) was associated with the arterial parameters (IMT: β = 0.051, baPWV: β = 0.141, both P < 0.001) independently of morning hypertension (IMT: β = 0.093, baPWV: β = 0.216, both P < 0.001) irrespective of antihypertensive medication status. Individuals exhibiting isolated sleep hypertension (N = 801) had thicker IMT (0.69 ± 0.14 vs. 0.64 ± 0.13 mm, P = 0.017) and faster baPWV (1,299 ± 197 vs. 1,183 ± 178 cm/s, P < 0.001) than normotensives. A sleep SBP at least 110 mmHg and a sleep DBP at least 65 mmHg were identified as the lower threshold BP values for the association with arterial parameters.

Sleep BP measurement using a home device may be a simple way to assess cardiovascular risks overlooked by office and home morning BP measurements.