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Is the blood pressure variability the great forgotten parameter?

Hypertension Research volume 44, pages 877–878 (2021)Cite this article

Blood pressure variability (BPV) is the result of a complex interaction between several mechanisms, including cardiac and vascular effects induced by the autonomic nervous system, influences of some hormones and peptides, mechanical and behavioral factors (physical activity, mental stress) and environmental influences (salt, tobacco, alcohol or caffeine). Moreover, we can distinguish BPV in terms of periodic fluctuations, ranging from a few minutes (as in ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) or home BP measurements) to different days (visit-to-visit) in the clinic [1].

High variability in hypertension also raises diagnostic difficulties, forcing us to discard causes of secondary hypertension such as pheochromocytoma, sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, and multiple system atrophy [2]. In addition, BPV is a potential cause of overtreatment and iatrogenic adverse events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Epidemiology and Vascular Risk Unit, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío SAS/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Pablo Stiefel, Manuela Falcón-Ortega, David León–Jiménez & Luis Matias Beltrán-Romero

  2. Internal Medicine, Clinical Unit for Comprehensive Medical Care (UCAMI), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain

    Pablo Stiefel, David León–Jiménez & Luis Matias Beltrán-Romero

Authors
  1. Pablo Stiefel
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  2. Manuela Falcón-Ortega
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  3. David León–Jiménez
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  4. Luis Matias Beltrán-Romero
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Correspondence to Pablo Stiefel.

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Stiefel, P., Falcón-Ortega, M., León–Jiménez, D. et al. Is the blood pressure variability the great forgotten parameter?. Hypertens Res 44, 877–878 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-00613-x

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