Blood Pressure Variability and Therapeutic Implications in Hypertension and Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Blood pressure (BP) is characterized by continuous dynamic and spontaneous oscillations occurring over lifetime and defining the so-called blood pressure variability (BPV). BPV has been associated with target organ damage, cardiovascular (CV) risk and death, suggesting the use of BPV as a new target in hypertension management in addition to mean BP values lowering. The purpose of the review is to focus on the therapeutic implications of BPV and summarize the effects of different drug classes on various types of BPV. Despite most first-line antihypertensive medications contribute to reduce both short and long term BPV, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as monotherapy or fixed-combination therapy appear to be the most effective on BPV control. Further randomized interventional trials are needed to investigate which drug combinations are most appropriate according to patient CV risk stratification, in order to improve their CV outcomes.