The influence of dipper vs. non-dipper pattern on left ventricular function and ascending aorta dimensions in hypertensive patients in Angola

Background. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of the dipper vs. non-dipper patterns on left ventricular function and the dimensions of the ascending aorta in hypertensive patients in Angola. Material and methods. This is a descriptive, observational study performed at the Department of Cardiology of Luanda Medical Center. For this purpose, information on demographic data, echocardiographic parameters and 24-hour-ambulatory blood pressure measurement parameters was collected. All patients underwent both echocardiographic study and 24-hour-ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Dipper pattern is considered when there is a decrease in the nocturnal BP in relation to the daytime BP greater than 10%; if this decrease is not observed either in the systolic blood pressure or in the diastolic blood pressure, the patients are considered non-dippers. Results. We enrolled 159 patients, of which 85 (53.46%) were dippers and 74 (46.54%) were non-dippers, and 87 (54.71%) were male. The mean age (SD) was 43.62 (± 10.73) years. The patients with the non-dipper pattern had larger ascending aortic diameters (29.68 ± 4.88 vs. 27.8 ± 5.18, p = 0.001), higher left ventricular diastolic diameters (52.85 ± 9.24 vs. 50.24 ± 4.16, p = 0.027) and greater posterior wall thickness (10.73 ± 1.94 vs. 10.07 ± 1.70, p = 0.024). In addition, the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) (B = 0.103, p = 0.001) and the posterior wall (PW) thickness (B = 0.350, p = 0.001) are significant estimates of non-dipper pattern. Conclusions. The results show that hypertensive patients with non-dipper pattern have more alterations in left ventricular geometry, but not in left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.