Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability Is Associated with Structural and Functional Changes to the Heart

Greater BP variability in early adulthood correlated with worse echocardiographic features at middle age.

Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, independent of BP level. To understand if BPV in early adulthood is associated with later subclinical alterations in cardiac structure and function, researchers used data from a U.S.-based community cohort study (CARDIA) in which participants aged 18 to 30 at enrollment underwent eight BP evaluations over 25 years of follow-up and an echocardiogram at year 25.

A total of 2400 participants completed follow-up (men, 43%; African-American, 41%; mean age at year 25, 50). Greater visit-to-visit systolic and diastolic BPVs, independent of the mean BP, were associated with worse results on measures of left-ventricular mass index, diastolic func…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)