The relationship between blood pressure dipping status and carotid plaque in senior essential hypertensive individuals of different sexes

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations of the blood pressure (BP) dipping status with carotid plaque in senior essential hypertensive patients of different sexes. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 512 patients (275 men and 237 women) with essential hypertension who underwent ambulatory BP monitoring and carotid ultrasound assessment were recruited in our study. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the associations of multiple risk factors with carotid plaque. RESULTS: Abnormal dipping [odds ratio (OR)=2.138, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.170-3.908, P<0.05] and circadian decline rate of systolic BP (SBP) (OR=0.925, 95% CI 0.884-0.968, P<0.01) were found to be associated with carotid plaque in men. The level of night-time SBP (OR=1.022, 95% CI 1.003-1.042, P<0.05) and carotid plaque were associated with each other in women. In addition, as for all the patients in our study, abnormal dipping (OR=1.743, 95% CI 1.114-2.725, P<0.05), circadian decline rate of SBP (OR=0.950, 95% CI 0.922-0.980, P<0.01), the level of night-time SBP (OR=1.030, 95% CI 1.014-1.047, P<0.001), and the level of daytime diastolic BP (OR=0.971, 95% CI 0.946-0.998, P<0.05) were associated with carotid plaque, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that the abnormal dipping status of BP and circadian decline rate of SBP might serve as independent risk factors for carotid plaque, respectively, in men, as does night-time SBP in women. Therefore, personalized BP management may be necessary for hypertensive patients.