LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY AND BLOOD-PR ESSURE VARIABILITY - A DISCONTINUOUS AMBULATORY VERSUS CONTINUOUS RESTING APPROACH

To study the relationship between assessment of blood pressure (BP) va riability measured by continuous measurement (Finapres) or discontinuo us ambulatory (ABPM Spacelabs) in 70 untreated essential hypertensive subjects (mean age 51 +/- 12) and their relationship with the developm ent of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). There is no relationship be tween the BP variability measurements either by Finapres nor by ABPM. Multiple regression analysis show that ambulatory systolic BP variabil ity (standard deviation) and resting BP variability (spectral analysis of SBP in the medium frequency band 0.1 Hz) are related to LVH index when we take into account age and BP difference (to explain LVH) (p < 0.001) ABPM SBP variability increase with LVH, while resting SBP measu rement of BP variability (Mayer waves) significantly decreased. The st udy points to the different role of BP variability measurements in the mecanisms related to left ventricular hypertrophy and to the interest of continuous BP resting spectral analysis measurements.