DIURNAL AND SHORT-TERM VARIATION OF BLOOD-PRESSURE - COMPARISON OF PRE-ECLAMPTIC, CHRONIC HYPERTENSIVE, AND NORMOTENSIVE PATIENTS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 58  (3) , 291-296
Abstract
The decrease in blood pressure during sleep may be greater in patients with chronic hypertension than in preeclamptic patients. The DINAMAP (device for indirect noninvasive automatic mean arterial pressure) monitor was used to determine the mean arterial, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at 15-min intervals for 24 h. Three groups of 15 patients each were studied: mildly preeclamptic, chronically hypertensive and normotensive patients in the 3rd trimester. Two patients with severe preeclampsia were also studied. The automatic readings were compared with auscultated blood pressures. There was short-term variation in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 20-40 and 15-30 mm Hg, respectively, with consecutive 15-min recordings. A decrease in blood pressure during sleep was seen in all groups, except in the 2 patients with severe preeclampsia. This fall varied between 5 and 20 mm Hg systolic and 5 and 18 mm Hg diastolic. The auscultated blood pressure differed from the automatic blood pressure by 5 to 40 mm Hg systolic and 5 to 35 mm Hg diastolic. In the clinical management of patients, these findings are significant as they demonstrate short-term variation in blood pressure and differences in the auscultated vs. automatic blood pressure readings. Changes in blood pressure occur during sleep; this may be important with regard to the timing and dose of medication given to pregnant patients with chronic hypertension or preeclampsia.

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