Morning blood pressure surge and markers of cardiovascular alterations in untreated middle-aged hypertensive subjects

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the degree of morning blood pressure surge (MBPS) and its relationship with markers of cardiovascular alterations in untreated middle-aged hypertensives. We studied 241 patients (mean age, 36.6 ± 10.7 years). Subjects with higher sleep-through MBPS (st-MBPS) were older (P = .003), had higher carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) (P = .05) and lower E/A ratio (P = .01) than those with lower MBPS. Subjects with higher prewakening MBPS (pw-MBPS) had significantly higher deceleration time (P = .01) compared with those with lower pw-MBPS. St-MBPS correlated significantly with age, cIMT values, 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP, and systolic BP night-time fall. The significant correlations between pw-MBPS and cIMT values, deceleration time, 24-hour diastolic BP and systolic BP night-time fall were observed. A relationship between MBPS and cardiovascular alterations was observed both in dippers and nondippers, although in non-dippers, it was less pronounced. The results may imply a possible link between MBPS and markers of cardiovascular alterations in untreated hypertensive subjects.