Ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

There is little information regarding ambulatory blood pressure in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate was studied in 28 normotensive adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and normoalbuminuria, and adolescent controls. Ambulatory heart rate was higher during day and night (P = .001) in the IDDM patients, with normal mean diurnal variation of heart rate and blood pressure. Duration of diabetes related to diastolic ambulatory blood pressure (r = 0.69, P = .0001) and diastolic blood pressure burden (r = 0.61, P = .0001) independent of age, gender, height, body mass index, metabolic control, and albumin excretion rate. The ambulatory blood pressure monitor was well accepted in patients and controls. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in adolescents detects early changes in relation to duration of insulin-dependent diabetes.