Nocturnal Hemodynamics in Somali Americans: Implications for Cardiovascular Risk

Cardiovascular health disparities are present within several minority communities, but it is unclear if such disparities are present in a growing African American subpopulation, Somali Americans, who differ genetically and culturally from African Americans of Western African ancestry. Ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring remains a gold standard measure to examine 24-h BP patterns to stratify cardiovascular risk profile. We sought to examine differences in the 24-h BP profile in a sample of young Somali Americans and compare their BP patterns to White study participants. We hypothesized that their BP and heart rate (HR) would be higher compared to closely matched White participants.

We recruited 50 participants (25 Somali) in whom BP recordings were obtained every 20 min throughout the entire 24-h monitoring period to quantify BP, HR, and ambulatory arterial stiffness. Daytime BP/HR was quantified between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and nighttime BP/HR was assessed between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Daytime BP and HR were similar between racial groups (p > 0.05). Nighttime BP was similar between groups (p > 0.05), but Somali American individuals exhibited a higher nocturnal HR compared to White participants (p = 0.013). Nocturnal dipping in diastolic BP and HR dipping was attenuated in Somali Americans compared to White adults (p = 0.038, 0.007). Somali participants also had higher ambulatory arterial stiffness (p = 0.045).

Twenty four-hour hemodynamics, specifically ambulatory arterial stiffness, nocturnal BP, and nocturnal HR, differ in young Somali Americans compared to White adults. These findings provide new insight into potential cardiovascular health disparities and future cardiovascular risk within the burgeoning Somali American community.