Ambulatory blood pressure measurement and control in hypertensive diabetic patients

BACKGROUND: Good blood pressure control is one of the recommended targets in diabetic patient's management. AIM: To evaluate blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive treated diabetic patients using ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM). METHODS: Two hundred and six hypertensive treated diabetic patients were enrolled in this study (83 men and 123 women). Mean age were 60.3±9.6 years-old with mean diabetic duration of 9.1±8.2 years. All of them underwent 24 hours ABPM. Intervals between measurements were 20 minutes at diurnal period and 30 minutes at nocturnal period. RESULTS: 28 patients (13.6%) only were at recommended target levels of blood pressure control (mean diurnal BP<130/80 mmHg and nocturnal BP<115/65 mmHg) and 137 patients were at the most bed control levels (mean diurnal BP ? 140/90 mmHg or nocturnal BP ? 125/75 mmHg). Bed controlled patients had mildly higher waist circumference (p=0.08). Poor BP control was associated with non dipper character (p<0.001), diabetic nephropathy (p<0.01) and diabetic retinopathy (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our hypertensive treated diabetic patients were far from good blood pressure control. ABPM showed that the loss of nocturnal blood pressure fall was the most associated abnormality with poor BP control. Diabetic microangiopathy were more frequent in poor controlled patients.