Nocturnal dipping status and the association of morning blood pressure surge with subclinical target organ damage in untreated hypertensives

Abstract

The authors aimed to investigate the association between sleep-through morning surge (MS) in blood pressure (BP) and subclinical target organ damage in untreated hypertensives with different nocturnal dipping status. This cross-sectional study included 1252 individuals who underwent anthropometric measurements, serum biochemistry evaluation, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, echocardiography, and carotid ultrasonography. Left ventricular mass index, left atrial dimension, and carotid intima-media thickness were evaluated. Participants were grouped according to nocturnal systolic BP dipping rate (388 dippers, 10%-20%; 674 non-dippers, 0%-10%; 190 reverse dippers, <0%). Twenty-two extreme dippers were excluded. While reverse dippers exhibited the most severe signs of damage, only dippers showed significant and positive correlation between MS and hypertension-mediated organ damage (all P 1 and P