EFFECTS OF AGE AND GENDER ON AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE AND HEART-RATE

In a large group of young (n = 194) and elderly (n = 148) healthy subj ects, we explored the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure ( BP) levels, within-subject BP variability, and age in men and women. T he questions asked were: Do elderly subjects display higher BP levels and variability compared to a young group? Are there gender difference s in BP level and variability? Are these gender differences similar in the young and the elderly subjects? Do age or gender influence BP in a similar way during waking and during sleep? Subjects wore an ambulat ory BP monitor (Accutracker II) for 24 h. Individual levels and variab ility (standard deviations) were calculated for periods when subjects were awake and during sleep. Systolic BP was higher in the elderly wom en than in the young group. In comparison to the young subjects, both elderly men and women had higher diastolic BP, BP variability while su bjects were awake was higher in the elderly, in women in particular. T he higher levels of BP variability found in the elderly women may indi cate relatively higher risk for end-organ damage, such as silent cereb rovascular damage.