Visit-to-visit and 24-h blood pressure variability: association with endothelial and smooth muscle function in African Americans

Visit-to-visit and 24-h blood pressure variability: association with endothelial and smooth muscle function in African Americans

Por: K M Diaz, P Veerabhadrappa, M A Kashem4, S R Thakkar, D L Feairheller, K M Sturgeon6, C Ling, S T Williamson, J Kretzschmar, H Lee, H Grimm, D M Babbitt, C Vin, X Fan, D L Crabbe y M D Brown.   Journal of Human Hypertension (2013) 27, 671–677.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of visit-to-visit and 24-h blood pressure (BP) variability with markers of endothelial injury and vascular function. We recruited 72 African Americans who were non-diabetic, non-smoking and free of cardiovascular (CV) and renal disease. In conclusion, our findings showed that visit-to-visit and 24-h BPV were associated with measures of endothelial injury, endothelial function, and smooth muscle function. These early preliminary results may suggest that high BPV could influence the pathogenesis of CV disease, in part, through influences on vascular health. Additional research, however, will be needed to confirm these results, determine the clinical relevance of the FMD/NMD ratio, and resolve the conflicting hypotheses regarding the interpretation of circulating EMP levels.