Blood Pressure Variability: Assessment, Prognostic Significance and Management.

Interest in blood pressure variability (BPV ) as a cardiovascular risk factor has gained focus in recent times. Increased BPV places added strain on the cardiovascular (CV ) system unrelated to its average value, leading to increased risk of target organ damage (TOD) and CV events. Recent data suggests that there is inter-drug variation in efficacy with calcium channel blockers (CCBs) such as Amlodipine proving superior to other drugs in reducing BPV. Addition of CCBs to other antihypertensive agents significantly reduces BPV; however the reverse is not true.