Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a mean to stratify cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE

Current hypertension guidelines stress the importance to assess total cardiovascular risk but do not describe precisely how to use ambulatory blood pressures in the cardiovascular risk stratification.

METHOD: We calculated here global cardiovascular risk according to 2003 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines in 127 patients in whom daytime ambulatory blood pressures were recorded and carotid/femoral ultrasonography performed.

RESULTS

The presence of ambulatory blood pressures >or =135/85 mmHg shifted cardiovascular risk to higher categories, as did the presence of hypercholesterolemia and, even more so, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.

CONCLUSION

Further studies are, however, needed to define the position of ambulatory blood pressures in the assessment of cardiovascular risk.