Ambulatory Blood Pressure: A Predictor of Left Ventricular Mass and Future Blood Pressure in Subjects Predisposed for Hypertension

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (SpaceLab 5200) and a single laboratory blood pressure were measured in a population-derived sample of normotensive men (mean age 36 years) with (n = 13) or without (n = 16) a positive family history of hypertension. The aim was to determine whether ambulatory monitoring was a better predictor than clinical measurements for echocardiographic derived indices of left ventricular mass and for future blood pressure. At the initial examination ambulatory blood pressure could discriminate between the groups, showing significant differences that were not evident from the clinical blood pressure measurement. After 5 years the blood pressure had increased in the group with a family predisposition for hypertension but only one subject had overt hypertension. The correlation between the average day-time blood pressure and the clinical blood pressure at follow-up was only marginally better than the correlation for the initial clinical blood pressure. In contrast to the clinical blood pressure, both day-time and night-time blood pressure averages were significantly correlated to left ventricular mass at the initial examination. It is concluded that in still normotensive subjects, ambulatory monitoring is a better predictor than clinical measurements for left ventricular mass but not for future blood pressure.