Nocturnal non-dipping blood pressure profile in black normotensives is associated with cardiac target organ damage

Purpose: A non-dipping pattern of nocturnal blood pressure in hypertensive patients is an established predictor of cardiovascular risk, especially in Blacks. However, data on non-dipping normotensives and cardiovascular risk in this population is sparse. In this study, we aim to determine if a non-dipping profile in a cohort of Black normotensives is associated with cardiac target organ damage. Methods: We studied ambulatory blood pressure patterns in 43 normotensive Black patients of Caribbean origin and classified their profiles as dippers (DP) and nondippers (NDP) based on their nocturnal blood pressure profiles. Cardiac target organ damage was estimated from 2-D echocardiogram. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 52 years. Both groups were similar with respect to baseline age, sex, weight, height, body mass index and daytime ambulatory BP. There was a statistically significant difference in nocturnal blood pressure between DP and NDP groups (112 ± 7/64 ± 2 mm Hg vs 117 ± 3/69 ± 2 mm Hg, P=.004). The NDP cohort showed evidence of cardiovascular target damage on echocardiography with a significantly increased relative wall thickness (.35 ± .07cm vs .42 ± .05 cm, P=.001), left ventricular mass index (95 ± 14 vs 105 ± 14 g/m2, P=.018) and left atrial volume index (26 ± 3.5 vs. 30 ± 3.4, P=.001). Left ventricular geometry in the non-dippers also showed increased concentric remodeling, concentric and eccentric hypertrophy. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that nocturnal non-dipping of blood pressure in normotensive Blacks of Caribbean origin may be associated with cardiovascular end organ damage thereby providing new surveillance and therapeutic targets.