Author:

Keywords:

Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Belgium, Blood Pressure Determination, Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory, Body Weight, Female, Humans, Hypertension, Male, Middle Aged, Time Factors, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems, Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Cardiovascular System & Cardiology, AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE, HOME BLOOD PRESSURE, BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT, CONVENTIONAL BLOOD PRESSURE, NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS, HYPERTENSION, VALUES, DEFINITION, WOMEN, AGE, MEN, 1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology, 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiovascular System & Hematology, 3201 Cardiovascular medicine and haematology, 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences

Abstract:

To determine reference values for ambulatory blood pressure, a population sample of 718 subjects (20 through 88 years old) was investigated. Ambulatory blood pressure was recorded over 24 h, taking measurements at 20-min intervals from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and at 45-min intervals from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Trained nurses also measured the conventional pressure at each participant's home. The ambulatory blood pressure in the 718 subjects averaged 119/71 mm Hg over 24 h, 125/76 mm Hg during the day (10 a.m.-8 p.m.), and 108/62 mm Hg at night (0 a.m.-6 a.m.). Compared with the daytime pressure, blood pressure at home was on average the same in all 718 subjects but was 3/1 mm Hg lower in 530 normotensive subjects. The 95th percentiles of the 24-h pressures were 134/85 mm Hg in 182 men below age 50, 145/87 mm Hg in 164 men aged > or = 50 years, 127/80 mm Hg in 198 women below age 50, and 141/81 mm Hg in 174 women aged > or = 50 years. In the normotensive subjects of these four strata, these percentiles were 132/82 mm Hg (n = 149), 128/80 mm Hg (n = 103), 125/79 mm Hg (n = 180), and 131/79 mm Hg (n = 98). In comparison with earlier results in a smaller sample (n = 318) from which treated patients were excluded, this analysis demonstrated consistent results in the determination of a reference frame for ambulatory monitoring. Nevertheless, the prognostic significance of such reference values needs to be established in longitudinal studies and clinical trials.