Cross-sectional association of blood pressure variability and night-time dipping with cardiac structure in adolescents
AbstractGreater blood pressure variability (BP) and reduced night-time BP dipping are associated with cardiovascular disease independently of mean BP in adults. This study examines whether these associations are apparent in adolescents. A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken in 587 UK adolescents. We examined associations between measures of blood pressure dipping and variability (including standard deviation weighted for day/night (SDdn), average real variability (ARV) and variability independent of the mean (VIM)) with cardiac structure measures assessed by echocardiography: (1) left ventricular mass indexed to height2.7 (LVMi2.7), (2) relative wall thickness (RWT), (3) left atrial diameter indexed to height (LADi), and (4) left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (LVIDD)). Greater BP variability was associated with cardiac structures including higher RWT, which persisted after adjustment for mean BP. There was no evidence for an association between night-time dipping and cardiac structures. Measurement of BP variability might benefit cardiovascular risk assessment in adolescents.