Non-dipper blood pressure pattern, defined as less than 10% reduction in nighttime blood pressure, may augment the risk of cardiovascular disease and negatively impact the prognosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published in the Brazilian journal Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia.
In this cross-sectional study, researchers assessed 142 patients with COPD. They collated data using the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire and the Euro Quality of Life Scale. To analyze arterial stiffness, they utilized the augmentation index and monitored patients’ blood pressure 24 hours a day. The researchers used multivariable logistic regression modeling to discern different independent variables and blood pressure patterns.
According to the results, just over 76% of patients had non-dipper blood pressure pattern. Patients with non-dipper pattern showed higher C-reactive protein (odds ratio [OR], 1.123; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.016-1.242), augmentation index (OR, 1.057; 95% CI, 1.011-1.105), and Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire total score (OR, 1.021; 95% CI, 1.001-1.042) compared with dipper patients. Furthermore, the researchers noted that as the number of people living at home increased, non-dipper blood pressure pattern rose in frequency (OR, 1.339; 95% CI, 1.009-1.777).
The researchers concluded that non-dipper blood pressure pattern “may increase cardiovascular risk by triggering inflammation and may adversely affect the prognosis of COPD by lowering the disease-related quality of life.”
Keywords: non-dipper blood pressure, COPD, nighttime blood pressure, cardiovascular disease
