[Circadian rhythm of blood pressure: non-dipping pattern and cardiovascular risk].

TL;DRAbstract

24h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) can easily detect the circadian blood pressure (BP) pattern: usually, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) show a nocturnal fall. Nocturnal BP values do not however always decline in essential hypertension: the subjects who show a nocturnal BP fall of at least 10% are called dippers; in other subjects, called non-dippers, BP behaviour is characterized by a lack of or very limited nocturnal BP fall. Several studies have investigated the relationship between the lack of or reduction of nocturnal BP fall (non-dipping pattern) and cardiovascular risk, showing not only an increase of target-organ damage (heart, brain, kidney), but a greater frequency of cardiovascular events (stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.) also and higher cardiovascular mortality in non-dippers subjects, both hypertensives and normotensives. Therefore, a non-dipping pattern may be an additional risk factor. Thus, ABPM could be a useful method to evaluate the initia

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