Circadian variations in cardiovascular disease: chronotherapeutic approaches to the management of hypertension.

Blood pressure (BP) exhibits strong circadian variation, and this variation may contribute to the increase of acute cardiovascular events that peak in the morning hours. Reducing morning BP may prevent these occurrences, so identifying data on the true duration of action of antihypertensive agents is essential. Ambulatory BP monitoring has uncovered important differences in commonly used once-daily therapies and has provided insights into the cardiovascular risks associated with BP variability. This article will explore chronotherapeutic antihypertensive agents that have been formulated to address the circadian challenges in controlling BP, and will consider the implications of chronotherapeutics in managing cardiovascular disease.