The SPRINT trial has demonstrated the benefit of intensive BP reduction in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk. Values of ABPM are of potential interest in such patients to better select those who will benefit of a lower BP target. We aimed to evaluate ABPM values in a large cohort of patients potentially candidates (meeting inclusion criteria) for the SPRINT trial. Moreover, in patients on antihypertensive therapy who also fulfill SPRINT criteria, except for clinic SBP ≥ 130 mmHg, we evaluated 24-hour SBP values among those who had clinic SBP < 120; between 120 and 139, or ≥ 140. From the database of the Spanish ABPM Registry containing 115708 patients, we identified 39132 (34%, 51% women, mean age 65 years) who fulfill both inclusion and exclusion criteria of the SPRINT trial. Mean values of clinic SBP were 151±11 mmHg, whereas corresponding values for 24-h SBP were 130±13 mmHg. Overall, 52% of patients had 24-h SBP below 130 mmHg. The proportion varied from 69% in those with clinic BP 130-139 to 34% in those with clinic BP ≥ 170 mmHg. Among 34328 treated patients who fulfilled SPRINT inclusion criteria (except for clinic BP ≥ 130), 1014 (3%) had clinic SBP < 120 mmHg, and 5330 (16%) values between 120 and 139 mmHg. The remaining 27984 patients were not controlled and had clinic SBP ≥ 140 mmHg. Values of 24 h SBP below 130 mmHg were seen in 88% of those with clinic BP < 120, in 74% of those with clinic BP 120-139, and in 47% of those with clinic BP ≥ 140 mmHg. The corresponding proportion of patients having 24-h SBP < 100 mmHg were 7.7%, 1.1%, and 0.6%. We conclude that ABPM assessment could be necessary in the evaluation of hypertensive patients at high CV risk before targeting the BP goal, as roughly half of them may have normal values of 24-h SBP (< 130 mmHg). In addition, targeting clinic BP below 120 mmHg is accompanied by 8% of patients with 24-h SBP below 100 mmHg.
To compare the efficacy of Outpatient Blood Pressure record with Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) in the clinical follow up of hypertensive patients on antihypertensive therapy
