WHOLE-DAY BP MONITORING IN AMBULATORY NORMOTENSIVE MEN

Noninvasive automated ambulatory BP [blood pressure] monitoring techniques were used to evaluate BP patterns in 34 healthy normotensive men. Daytime BP (128 .+-. 12/80 .+-. 7 mm Hg) were significantly higher and nighttime BP averages (109 .+-. 11/67 .+-. 9 mm Hg) were significantly lower than the casual BP (119 .+-. 13/76 .+-. 9 mm Hg) of the subjects studied. On the average, 15.6% of the readings in each tracing showed systolic BP above 140 mm Hg, and more than 25% of these elevated readings were found in 6 of the 34 subjects. The average incidence of elevated diastolic BP (> 90 mm Hg) observed during each monitoring period was 14.4%, but 6 subjects had incidences of more than 25%. The incidence of elevated BP readings was not age related. Subjects with a family history of hypertension generally had more elevated systolic BP than those with no family history of hypertension (25% vs. 9%).