Peculiarities of 24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Indices in Hypertensive Patients of Different Age Groups

Abstract

Relevance. Until now, there is an ongoing debate about the value of different indicators of blood pressure (BP) − systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse blood pressure (PBP) as predictors of essential hypertension (EH). In this regard the issue of target BP levels in patients of different ages remains studied incompletely.
 Objective is to determine peculiarities of 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring indices in patients with essential hypertension, stage II of different age groups.
 Materials and methods. ABPM indicators were determined in 130 patients who were divided into 4 groups. 1st group (n=57) – middle-aged hypertensive patients (45-59 years old); 2nd group (n=43) – elderly hypertensive patients (60-74 years old); 3rd group (n=15) – middle-aged patients without EH – control for the 1st group; 4th group (n=15) − elderly patients without EH − control for the 2nd group. Indices of ABPM were determined using a portable recorder ABPM-04 (company "Meditech", Hungary). Measurements of BP were performed every 15 minutes during the day (from 6 to 22 hours) and every 30 minutes at night (from 22 to 6 hours). We determined the following indices: the average daily SBP (mm Hg), the average daly DBP (mm Hg), the average BP (mm Hg); the maximal daily SBP (mm Hg), the maximal daily DBP (mm Hg). The daily index (DI) was also calculated − the percentage of BP decrease at night compared to daytime BP calculated in % DI of SBP, DI of DBP, DI of average BP.
 Results. In group 1 the average and maximal DBP were lower than in group 2 by 7,4% (p<0,001) and 13,1% (p<0,05), respectively. In group 1, the average daily and maximal SBP decreased by 3,8% and 4,1%, respectively; average heart rate by 3,8%; DI of SBP by 7,8% and DI of average BP by 5,8% but the data were unreliably smaller compared to the data of middle-aged patients. In group 1, the maximal DBP, DI SBP and DBP were not significantly different from the corresponding indicators in the control group. The maximal DBP was higher by 29,3% and amounted to 115,6±21,0 mm Hg and DI SBP and DI DBP are lower by 11,1% and 17,9%, respectively; and were equal to 9,6±7,4 and 13,8±8,1, respectively. In the 2nd group the following parameters decreased unreliably (p>0,05): heart rate by 8,6% and was 63,0±9,1/min., DI SBP by 17,6% and was 8,9±5,5%; DI DBP by 16,1% and was 14,1±7,1%; DI of average BP– by 20,4% and was equal to 11,3±6,1%.
 Conclusions. It is found that with the age DBP decreases with steadily increased SBP in hypertensive patients. The average daily and the maximal daily DBP are significantly less by 7,4% (p<0,001) and 13,1% (p<0,05) accordingly in elderly patients compared with the middle-aged.