Blood Pressure Variability in Fabry Disease Patients

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Fabry disease is a rare metabolic, multisystemic, and X-linked lysosomal storage disorder. The involvement of the autonomic nervous system is well defined; however, data on the variability of the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate in Fabry disease are largely missing. In this study, we aimed to examine the circadian variations of BP and heart rate variability in Fabry disease patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We recruited 31 consecutive adult (age &#x3e;18 years) Fabry disease patients (16 males and 15 females) who were regularly followed up in our outpatient clinic between July 2019 and March 2020. We performed ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and echocardiography in all patients. We used standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and average real variability as the measures of variability. We constructed 2 control groups for propensity score matching using age, sex, and eGFR parameters in the first group and adding antihypertensive drug use to the above parameters in the second group. <b><i>Results:</i></b> All BP measurements were significantly lower in the FD group compared to that of the control groups, except the nighttime systolic BP. Regarding nondipping and reverse dipping statuses, FD patients and controls were similar. We found that none of the BP variability measures were higher in FD patients. Regarding heart rate variability data, both the nighttime SD and CV were significantly lower in FD patients compared to those of the controls. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> A decrease in heart rate variability, rather than an increase in BP variability, might be an early marker of autonomic involvement in FD.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Characteristics of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Multicenter Study from China

Background: Previous studies revealed that abnormal blood pressure (BP) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, little is known about the ambulatory BP characteristics of AD in the mild or severe stage. Objective: We explored the ambulatory BP characteristics of AD in the mild or severe stage. Methods: In the present study, 106 AD patients (42.5%male, average age 81.6 years) were enrolled from three centers in China. Clinal BP measurements at the supine and standing positions, neurological evaluations, and the 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring were performed. Results: In the 106 AD patients, 49.2%, 36.8%, and 70%of patients had 24 h, daytime, and nighttime systolic hypertension, respectively, while 19.8%, 29.2%, and 5.7%had 24 h, daytime, and nighttime diastolic hypotension. The prevalence of the reduced and reverse dipping pattern was 34.0%and 48.1%for systolic BP and 32.1%and 45.3%for diastolic BP, respectively. The daytime diastolic BP was significantly correlated with cognitive performance. After adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index, only daytime diastolic BP was associated with remarkable cognitive deterioration (p≤0.008). Further, AD patients in the severe stage had significantly lower levels of the 24 h, daytime, and nighttime diastolic BP, compared with those in the mild stage. Conclusion: In general, AD patients were featured with high nighttime systolic BP, low daytime diastolic BP, and abnormal circadian BP rhythm of reduced and reverse dipping. The diastolic BP, especially daytime diastolic BP, was adversely correlated with the cognitive deterioration in AD.

Abstract T1: Prognostic Value Of 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Patterns In Diabetes: A 20-year Longitudinal Analysis Of The Chronic Diabetes Complications And All-cause Mortality In Pisa From 1999 Onwards (CHAMP1ON) Study Cohort

Background: Abnormal circadian blood pressure (BP) patterns and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) are established risk factors for cardiovascular events in diabetic patients. However, studies assessing all-cause mortality associated with altered BP patterns and HRV in diabetes are limited by follow-up periods of less than 10 years. Methods: We examined a cohort of 349 patients with type 2 diabetes ( n =284) or type 1 diabetes ( n =65) recruited in Pisa (Italy) from 1999 and followed-up for 21 years, all with available 24-hour ambulatory BP and HRV monitoring. Dipping, non-dipping and reverse dipping status were defined as a ≥10% decline, <10% decline, and ≥0.1% increase in average night-time systolic BP (SBP) compared with average daytime SBP, respectively. Results: After 6,251 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up 21.0 [14.0-21.0] years, 183 [52%] women, age 57.1±11.9 y, BMI 29.4±5.9 kg/m 2 , HbA1c 8.6±2.1%), a total of 136 (39%) deaths occurred. Compared with dippers (n=166), non-dippers (n=144) and reverse dippers (n=39) showed progressively higher prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (11%, 16% and 31%, respectively), low HRV (45% vs 53% vs 62%), 24-hour hypertension (40%, 60% and 67%), isolated nocturnal hypertension (5%, 27% and 49%), postural hypotension (14%, 26% and 43%), and lower prevalence of white-coat hypertension (31%, 17% and 13%). Reverse dippers and non-dippers had progressively lower mean overall survival (OS) compared with dippers (16.1±5.3 years, 17.5±5.3 years and 18.6±4.6 years, respectively). Reverse dippers also showed an increased risk of all-cause mortality after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, office SBP, plasma glucose, and diabetes duration and type (HR 2.3 [1.4-3.8]). Patients with low HRV had reduced mean OS than those with high HRV (16.9±5.5 and 18.8±4.4, respectively) but similar adjusted risk (HR 1.3 [0.9-1.9]). No significant interactions emerged between BP patterns, HRV and diabetes type on OS. Conclusions: Non-dipping and reverse dipping BP patterns are associated with an increased prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy and reduced survival probability in diabetic patients over a 21-year follow-up, with reverse dipping more than doubling the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality.

Association between blood pressure dipping patterns and hypertension-mediated organ damage among Nigerians with newlydiagnosed hypertension

Introduction: Abnormal blood pressure (BP) dipping patterns are associated with increased cardiovascular risk among Africans. This study determined the association between BP dipping patterns and hypertension-mediated organ damage among patients with newly-diagnosed hypertension.Methods: Ambulatory BP monitoring and echocardiography were carried out on 120 participants. Participants were categorized based on the ratio of night-time to day-time systolic BP into 4 patterns: Normal dipper (≥ 10% but < 20%), non-dippers (≥ 0% but < 10%), reverse dippers (<0%) and extreme dippers (≥ 20%).Result: Fifty-one (42.5%) were males, the mean age and body mass index were 44.2±9.8years and 27.1±4.4kg/m2 respectively. The non-dipping pattern was the most prevalent while the reverse dipping had the lowest mitral E/A ratio. Office systolic blood pressure was the only predictor of left ventricular hypertrophy (OR=1.050, 95% CI=1.004-1.098; p-value = 0.034).Conclusions: The non-dipping pattern was the most prevalent abnormal dipping pattern while the reverse dippers had the highest risk of hypertension-mediated organ damage. Office blood pressure was the only predictor of left ventricular hypertrophy. Hence, office BP measurement as well as ambulatory blood pressure measurements are potentially important tools in risk stratification in resource-poor settings of sub-Saharan Africa.

UPDATE OF CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES

The burden of diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is expected to increase due to the diabetes epidemic and its early and widespread appearance. CAN has a definite prognostic role for mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Putative mechanisms for this are tachycardia, QT interval prolongation, orthostatic hypotension, reverse dipping, and impaired heart rate variability, while emerging mechanisms like inflammation support the pervasiveness of autonomic dysfunction. Efforts to overcome CAN under-diagnosis are: by promoting screening for symptoms and signs; by simplifying cardiovascular reflex tests.

Impaired circadian rhythm of blood pressure predicting adverse events in preeclampsia

Background: Physiologically Blood pressure is higher during the day time (between 09 AM to 6 PM) and lower at night (10 pm to 3:00 am). During night both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings drop by about 10-20%. In preeclampsia, the nocturnal decrease of BP is blunted and there is less variation among BP circadian values. Objective of the study is to know whether ratio of morning and nocturnal mean diastolic blood pressures calculated by timed i.e., 6 hourly blood pressure monitoring could be used to predict the prognosis of preeclampsia as in terms of Maternal and fetal prognosis.Methods: A prospective study is done using 6 hourly blood pressure measurements of antenatal patients in third trimester admitted for gestational hypertension or preeclampsia and their observation till delivery was done. Results: It is observed that non dipping and increased nocturnal diastolic blood pressures pattern causing reverse dipping pattern are significantly associated with increased severity of disease (p=000). Both maternal (p=0.04) and fetal adverse event (p=0.004) increased significantly with blunting of decrease in nocturnal blood pressures.Conclusions: We thus can conclude that blunting/reversal of circadian rhythm of blood pressure indicates progress of disease to its more severe form. It thus could be of great help in deciding for monitoring, timing of antihypertensives and prophylactic medications and deciding for termination of gestation.

The Association of Orthostatic Hypotension with Ambulatory Blood Pressure Phenotypes in SPRINT

Background Clinic blood pressure (BP) when measured in the seated position, can miss meaningful BP phenotypes, including low ambulatory BP (white coat effects [WCE]) or high supine BP (nocturnal non-dipping). Orthostatic hypotension (OH) measured via both seated (or supine) and standing BP, could identify phenotypes poorly captured by seated clinic BP alone. Methods We examined the association of OH with WCE and night-to-daytime systolic BP (SBP) in a subpopulation of SPRINT, a randomized trial testing the effects of intensive or standard (&lt;120 versus &lt;140mmHg) SBP treatment strategies in adults at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. OH was assessed during follow-up (6, 12, 24 months) and defined as a decrease in mean seated SBP ≥20 or diastolic BP ≥10 mmHg after 1 min of standing. WCE, based on 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring performed at 27 months, was defined as the difference between 27-month seated clinic and daytime ambulatory BP ≥20/≥10 mmHg. Reverse dipping was defined as a ratio of night-to-daytime SBP &gt;1. Results Of 897 adults (mean age 71.5±9.5 years, 29% female, 28% black), 128 had OH at least once. Among those with OH, 15% had WCE (versus 7% without OH). Moreover, 25% of those with OH demonstrated a non-dipping pattern (versus 14% without OH). OH was positively associated with both WCE (OR=2.24; 95% CI: 1.28,4.27) and reverse dipping (OR=2.29; 95% CI: 1.31, 3.99). Conclusions The identification of OH in clinic was associated with two BP phenotypes often missed with traditional seated BP assessments. Further studies on mechanisms of these relationships are needed.