Editorial: Circadian Disruption of the Blood Pressure Rhythm as Predictor of Adverse Cardiovascular Outcome and Overall Mortality
| Title in English | Editorial: Circadian disruption of the blood pressure rhythm as predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcome and overall mortality |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | World Heart Journal |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Cardiovascular diseases incl. cardiosurgery |
| Keywords | circadian rhythm; blood pressure |
| Description | In this issue of the World Heart Journal, Gaspar et al. show that a disrupted circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increased risk of overall mortality [1]. Rhythm disruption in this case is defined based on the diurnal index used for a classification in terms of “dipping.” The study population consists of elderly (>75 years) hypertensive patients, some of them presenting with comorbidities at the time of ambulatory BP monitoring over 24 hours. The results are important since they show the merit of measuring BP around the clock under conditions of everyday life and of interpreting the results in the light of reference values. In this case, the reference value is a diurnal index of less than - 10%, corresponding to a BP drop by night of at least 10% from the average daytime value. |