Is non-dipping of nocturnal blood pressure in type 2 diabetes associated with increased incidence of microalbuminuria?

icroalbuminuria has been associated with Mnon-dipping of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) in people with type 2 diabetes, but the mechanism of this association is unclear. We aimed to identify the development of microalbuminuria in patients with nocturnal non-dipping of BP and type 2 diabetes. Data were examined from 150 people with type 2 diabetes who had undergone ambulatory BP monitoring, non-dippers were defined as those with a systolic nocturnal BP dip less than 10% of the daytime BP. The development of microalbuminuria, over five years of follow-up, in dippers and non-dippers was not significantly different. Non-dippers who were microalbuminuric at baseline were more likely to have a higher body mass index (p=0.01) and to be male (p<0.01). This lack of a difference may be due to the initial exclusion of microalbuminuric patients, who may be genetically predetermined to develop microalbuminuria. Further prospective trials are required to investigate this relationship.