Factors Associated with the Failure to Achieve Nocturnal Blood Pressure Control

The Hiroshima Registry for Evaluation and Treatment of Nocturnal and Early Morning Hypertension (Hiroshima NOCTURNE) was a prospective, multicenter study designed to determine whether elevated nighttime blood pressure (BP), assessed using a home BP monitoring (HBPM) device, can be normalized through active antihypertensive therapy in patients already receiving antihypertensive medication. In this subanalysis, we aimed to identify factors associated with failure to normalize nocturnal hypertension.

Patients with nocturnal hypertension at baseline who underwent a 6-month intervention based on nighttime BP were included. Nocturnal hypertension was defined as a mean nighttime systolic BP of ≥120 mmHg. Treatment decisions were left to the discretion of the attending physicians.

Among the 90 patients with baseline nocturnal hypertension, 42 (46.7%) failed to achieve normalization (<120 mmHg) after the intervention. In the multivariable analysis, higher baseline nighttime systolic BP (OR 1.07, 95% CI, 1.001-1.15, P = .046) and baseline diuretic use (OR 3.99, 95% CI, 1.17-13.6, P = .03) were significantly associated with failure to normalize nocturnal hypertension. Diabetes mellitus tended to be associated with the failure to normalize nocturnal hypertension (OR 3.01, 95% CI, 0.93-9.72, P = .06). Participants using diuretics at baseline and those with diabetes mellitus were already receiving multiple antihypertensive medications, and additional drug classes were not often prescribed during the intervention.

In patients already receiving antihypertensive medication, failure to normalize nocturnal hypertension despite treatment guided by nighttime BP measurements was associated with elevated baseline nighttime BP, diuretic use, and possibly diabetes mellitus. These findings highlight the need for more individualized therapeutic approaches, particularly in patients receiving diuretics or those with diabetes mellitus.

University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000019173).