What is it about?
This new study from the University of Oxford looked at 24-hour blood pressure patterns in patients admitted to hospital and found that nearly half of these patients have a blood pressure rise at night (‘reverse-dipper pattern). The study researchers then looked at blood pressure patterns from patients in primary care from the same age group (40-75), who had been monitored for 24 hours during their normal daily activities using ABPM. The proportion of the population in this group who were ‘reverse-dippers’ was around 15%. There are several possible reasons for the difference in the proportion of people found to have a ‘reverse dipping’ blood pressure pattern in the two patient groups.
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Why is it important?
The Oxford study reveals that night-time blood pressure assessment is important in diagnosing hypertension. Specifically, the study finds that around 15% of people aged 40-75 may have a form of undiagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension) that occurs only at night-time. Because they do not know about this, and therefore are not being treated for it, they are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart failure, and even death, suggests the new research from the University of Oxford published in the British Journal of General Practice.
Perspectives
Traditionally blood pressure measurements have been recorded on paper charts. The introduction of electronic hospital systems for recording blood pressure measurements and other vital signs allowed the creation of large databases for research. This, in turn, opened the door for in-depth analysis of patients’ vital sign measurements using modern data science and machine learning approaches. We developed novel techniques in this field, which led to significant insights on the importance of night-time blood pressure assessment in diagnosing hypertension and preventing cardiovascular disease.
Dr Adam Mahdi
University of Oxford
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Diagnosing hypertension in primary care: a retrospective cohort study to investigate the importance of night-time blood pressure assessment, British Journal of General Practice, August 2022, Royal College of General Practitioners,
DOI: 10.3399/bjgp.2022.0160.
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