Relationship between transient symptomatic hypotensive episodes and 24-hour blood pressure variability in patients with arterial hypertension

Abstract

Purpose Low blood pressure may be as harmful as high. Symptomatic hypotensive episodes should be a manifestation of circulatory disorders of hypertension – mediated organs especially among hypertensive patients. However, the association of such episodes with blood pressure variability is unknown. Aim To study the relationship between the symptomatic hypotensive episodes and the daily blood pressure variability according to the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in patients with hypertension. Materials and methods 106 patients aged between 40 and 65 years with hypertension were studied. A questionnaire developed by the authors was used to identify symptomatic hypotension. During the study all the subjects had ABPM. Daily blood pressure variability was defined as standard deviation. Results Among all patients, symptomatic hypotensive episodes were observed in 60.6%. Among patients without myocardial infarction or stroke in anamnesis - 52.4%, with ones - 75% participants (p=0.05). Among patient without myocardial infarction or stroke and with symptomatic hypotensive episodes, the high variability of daily systolic BP was observed in 36% of the subjects and averaged 14.3 mm Hg, in the absence of symptomatic hypotensive episodes, the variability of daily systolic BP was 16.3 mm Hg, with a variety of blood pressure exceeding the norm, 80% of the participants (p<0.05). In case of stroke or myocardial infarction in anamnesis and the presence of symptomatic hypotensive episodes, the systolic BP variability of daytime (18.0 mm Hg) and nighttime (14.8 mm Hg) was the highest. The proportion of participants with daily systolic BP variability exceeding the norm was 78%. In the absence of symptomatic hypotensive episodes, the blood pressure variability indicators did not deviate from the norm (p<0.05). Conclusion Heart attack and/or stroke in anamnesis with symptomatic hypotensive episodes are associated with lower daily systolic BP variability (14.3 mm Hg) in comparison with patients without symptomatic hypotensive episodes (16.3 mm Hg). If there were stroke or myocardial infarction in anamnesis, patients with symptomatic hypotensive episodes have higher daily systolic BP variability (18.0 mm Hg) than without hypotensive episodes (14.5 mm Hg). Symptomatic hypotensive episodes are not unidirectionally associated with the variability of blood pressure, the character of the relationship is associated with the presence of heart attack and/or stroke diseases in anamnesis. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.