Background. Patients with masked hypertension are at an elevated risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause death. This risk is close to that of sustained hypertension. The mean value and short-term variability of systolic blood pressure are considered to be risk factors for organ damage in hypertension. Objective. To investigate the mean value and short-term variability of systolic blood pressure in patients with masked hypertension. Methods. According to the results of in-clinic and ambulatory blood pressure measurement, participants were divided into four groups: normotension group, controlled hypertension group, masked hypertension group, and sustained hypertension group. The mean value and short-term variability of systolic blood pressure of masked hypertension group were evaluated by comparison with the other three groups. Results. A total of 250 subjects were enrolled, with an average age of 65.46 ± 8.76 years, and 166 (66.4%) were male, including 62 in the normotension group, 78 in the controlled hypertension group, 69 in the masked hypertension group, and 41 in the sustained hypertension group. Compared with the normotension group and controlled hypertension group, the mean value, blood pressure load, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation of systolic blood pressure over 24 hours and during the day and night, were all higher in the masked hypertension group ( P < 0.05 ), while the rate of the nocturnal systolic blood pressure decline was lower ( P < 0.05 ). There were no statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the masked hypertension group and sustained hypertension group ( P > 0.05 ). Conclusion. There are higher mean value of systolic blood pressure and greater short-term variability in masked hypertension patients. Identification of masked hypertension is an important challenge in the clinic.

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of hearing loss and hearing threshold at different frequencies in hypertensive patients. To analyze the factors related to hearing loss and hearing threshold at different frequencies in hypertensive patients. Design：Observational Studies. From inpatient ward, clinical, biological and hospital data were collected. Setting：Single center population-based observational study. Participants：We considered 517 patients (1034 ears),either with hypertension or without hypertension. Main outcome measures：We considered the proportion of hearing loss, the average hearing threshold, low-frequency hearing threshold, medium-frequency hearing threshold, and high-frequency hearing threshold. The risk factors related to hearing loss, mean hearing threshold, low-frequency hearing threshold, medium-frequency hearing threshold, and high-frequency hearing threshold were searched. Results: Compared with the non-hypertensive group, the proportion of hearing loss in the hypertensive group was higher ( P < 0.05). After including risk factors of cardiovascular disease and ambulatory blood pressure parameters in the regression model, the factors related to hearing loss included Albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) and the standard deviation of 24-hour systolic blood pressure (24h-SSD). ACR, 24h-SSD, and day systolic blood pressure (Day SBP) were associated with mean hearing threshold, low-frequency hearing threshold, medium-frequency hearing threshold, and high-frequency hearing threshold. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ACR+24h-SSD for hearing loss was 0.873 with a sensitivity of 86.73%, specificity of 90.52%, and 95% confidence interval of 0.821–0.914. Thus, ACR combined with 24h-SSD had a high predictive efficiency for hearing loss. Conclusion: Hypertension may be a cause of hearing loss, and the related factors include ACR and 24h-SSD.