Relationship between Blood Pressure Variability and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Essential Hypertension

Objective To explore the relationship between blood pressure variability(BPV)and carotid atherosclerosis(CA)in patients with essential hypertension(EH).Methods A total of 158 EH patients and 35 normal subjects(control group)underwent 24 h non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure(BP)monitoring,and intima-media thickness(IMT)evaluated by carotid ultrasonography.Standard deviation(SD)of BP readings was taken as BPV values.EH patients were divided,according to Percentile 50(P50)of daytime SBP SD,into groups low BPV(n=76)and high BPV(n=82).Ambulatory BP parameters,carotid IMT were analyzed comparatively.Taking IMT as dependent variable,multiple linear regression analysis was performed in EH patients.Results The mean SBP,DBP in varying periods,nighttime SBP SD were higher in EH groups than in control group(P0.01),the 24 h mean SBP,IMT of bilateral carotid artery higher in high BPV group than in low BPV group(P0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that 24 h mean SBP and daytime SBP SD were positively correlated with carotid IMT(P0.05).Conclusion EH patients have high BPV,independent of mean BP.BPV is an important influencing factor for CA.