Nocturnal blood pressure monitored by ambulatory blood pressure measurement in elderly hypertensive patients.

This study was designed to characterize the nocturnal fall of blood pressure (NFBP) of elderly hypertensive patients (EH), with or without cerebrovascular disease or diabetes mellitus, as measured by automated blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Systolic and diastolic BP and heart rate was measured every 15 minutes in 133 hospitalized patients with nearly similar schedules and diets. The patients were divided into five groups: I, normotensive elderly patients over age 65: II, EH without cardiovascular diseases, controlled without medication: III, EH with cerebral infarction, chronic stage: IV, EH with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: and V, hypertensives under age 65, without cardiovascular diseases. A significant NFBP was observed in the patients of groups I and V, a significant but smaller NFBP in the hypertensives of groups II and IV, and no NFBP in the patients of group III. Administration of the antihypertensive drugs, enalapril and nifedipine, tended to augment the NFBP. These preliminary observations showed that NFBP did occur in elderly hypertensives but the fall was smaller than that observed in younger hypertensives or elderly normotensives. Although the ambulatory BP measurements were useful in the overall clinical evaluation of elderly patients, NFBP in elderly patients was affected by hypertensive drugs and therefore NFBP should be interpreted with caution.