Different arterial pressure patterns during ambulatory monitoring in hypertensive patients of both sexes are not associated with different cardiovascular impact

BACKGROUND: To establish if the differences between male and female hypertensives, with similar characteristics, are associated with different cardiovascular damage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compare a group of 27 mild hypertensive males with another one of 24 females with similar characteristics. A 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, a 24-hour ECG holter, an echocardiography and eye funduscopy, were done to all the patients. RESULTS: The mean of 24 hour-systolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), the daytime and night-time systolic blood pressure load (p < 0.05), and the mean of systolic blood pressure daytime, were significantly are not higher in male than in female hypertensives. Neither echocardiographic differences nor frequency of arrhythmias were observed between both groups. 66.7% of the women had left ventricular hypertrophy vs 37% of the men, without significant difference. 40.7% of the male had rethynopathy I-II vs 50% of the female. Left ventricular mass index correlated with different parameters of the ambulatory monitoring in the multivariate analysis. Body mass index and daytime systolic blood pressure load classified correctly 89% of the male-group in with or without hypertensive rethynopathy. The body mass index, age and 24-hour maximal systolic blood pressure, classified correctly 87.5% of female hypertensives in with and without hypertensive rethynopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring between male and female mild hypertensive patients, were not associated with different cardiovascular damage. We emphasize the importance of the body mass index in the development of hypertensive rethynopathy in both sexes.