Reference values for 24-hour non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure: A population study of men aged fifty

Abstract

All 50-year-old men (N = 126) living in a defined neighbourhood were invited to undergo 24-hour ambulatory, non-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring. The participation rate was 90%. Seven per cent of the subjects were taking antihypertensive drugs and 19% had a current diagnosis of hypertension or had been so diagnosed sometime previously.

The 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of the subjects' ambulatory BP are presented. On average, daytime, night-time, and 24-hour ambulatory BP were 135/86, 114/68,128/80 mmHg, respectively, and the average casual BP was 137/86 mmHg. The ambulatory BP in the present study was higher than in previous reference studies. No attempt was made to select the stratified subjects according to casual BP or any other medical or social variable. This and a high participation rate probably account for the difference in ambulatory BP vis-à-vis those found in other reference studies.

Key Words:

• non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
• reference values