Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoriug in Normotensive and Hypertensive Type 2 Diabetics

Abstract

To assess . the prevalence of an impaired diurnal blood pressure pattern in a population of both normotensive and hypertensive diabetics, 24-hours non invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was perfonned in 40 patients with type 2 diabetes (20 hypertensives and 20 nonnotensives) and in 20 control subjects without diabetes (I0 hypertensives and 10 nonnotensives) Diastolic blood pressure and especially the nocturnal systolic blood pressme were significantly less marked in both normotensive and hypertensive diabetics. Whereas no statistical significance was found in tl1e day-night systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes between the nonnotensive and hypertensive non diabetics. The contribution of impaired diurnal blood pressure rhythm to target organ damage (left ventricular hypertrophy, microalbuminuria), was assessed. Left ventricular mass correlated significantly with the night-time systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the hypertensive diabetics, and with the night­ time diastolic blood pressure only in the nonnotensive diabetics. No significant correlation was found betweenleft ventricular mass and control groups. The presence of microalbmninuria showed no significant correlation with impaired diurnal blood pressure rhythm in all groups.