CAMPODIMELE STUDY - BLOOD-PRESSURE AND HEART-RATE PATTERN IN CLINICALLY HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS

Noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring is a developing method in clinical practice. Its interpretation needs reference standa rds stratified by age and gender. This study addresses ambulatory BP m onitoring in elderly people with the purpose of quantifying the discre te and periodic variability of BP pattern over a 24-h period. The ABPM was performed in 92 clinically healthy subjects (45 men and 47 women) ranging in age from 76 to 102 years. The results refer to the time-qu alified mean values with their dispersion, to the circadian rhythm wit h its parameters, and to the daily baric impact (BI) with its variabil ity. The conclusion is drawn that BP preserves its nychtohemeral varia bility and circadian rhythmicity despite old age. The daily BP mean le vel and BI in older people in good health are comparable with those of young subjects, suggesting that humans surviving into old age are cha racterized by a eugenic control of their pressure regimen.