High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension
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High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev · Mar 2013
ReviewThe importance of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients at risk of cardiovascular events.
The accuracy of clinic blood pressure (BP) measurements is limited due to the presence of 24-hour BP variability and white-coat or masked hypertension. In contrast, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) has evolved into an accurate and reproducible tool for the assessment and management of hypertension. Various out-of-office measurements can be obtained using ABPM data, including morning, daytime, night-time and average 24-hour BP. ⋯ Smooth BP control according to this index is achieved with long-acting drugs, such as telmisartan or amlodipine, which provide smooth 24-hour BP control, even during the early morning period. In summary, the use of ABPM is expanding, both in clinical practice and in trials, as it provides a closer correlation to prognosis than clinic BP measures. When choosing an antihypertensive agent for patients with hypertension, it is important to consider reducing BP variability by using longer acting antihypertensives, which may help to prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.