The Role of Blood Pressure Load in Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Adults: A Literature Review of Current Evidence

BACKGROUND: The blood pressure load (BPL) is commonly defined as the percentage of readings in a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) study above a certain threshold, usually the upper normal limit. While it has been studied since the 1990s, the benefits of using this index have not been clearly demonstrated in adults. We present the first review on the associations of BPL with target organ damage (TOD) and clinical outcomes in adults, the major determinants for its role and utility in blood pressure measurement. We emphasize studies which evaluated whether BPL has added benefit to the average blood pressure indices on ABPM in predicting adverse outcomes. METHODS: PubMed search for all English language papers mentioning ABPM and BPL. RESULTS: While multiple studies assessed this question, the cumulative sample size is small. Whereas the associations of BPL with various TODs are evident, the available literature fails to demonstrate a clear and consistent added value for the BPL over the average blood pressure indices. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for prospective studies evaluating the role of BPL in blood pressure measurement. The current literature does not provide sound support for the use of BPL in clinical decisions.