Nondipping phenomenon and quality of life: are they related in essential hypertensive patients?

Hypertensive patients report lower general well-being, more severe psychological distress, poorer perceived health status, more physical symptoms, and functional disability when compared to normotensive patients. Nondipping of blood pressure (BP) is related to increased target organ damage in essential hypertension. However, the specific relationship between nocturnal nondipping and quality of life has not been extensively investigated. Patients with essential hypertension underwent the following procedures: anamnesis, office BP measurement, physical examination, routine biochemistry, and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. To determine renal function, 24-hour urine specimens were collected. Quality of life was assessed by a short form of medical outcomes study (SF-36). Totally, 132 patients (male/female: 55/75) were included. Fifty-five of the patients were nondippers. The dippers and nondippers were not statistically different in terms of socio-demographic parameters. Dippers had higher physical functioning (P- 0.004), bodily pain (P- 0.008), and PCS (P - 0.003) than nondippers. PCS of SF-36 was independently associated with age (P - 0.029), body mass index (P - 0.022), presence of coronary artery disease (P - 0.01), gender (P - 0.009), and dipping phenomenon (P - 0.006). A mental component summary score of SF-36 was not associated with dipping phenomenon. Nocturnal nondipping, apart from having important prognostic implications for cardiovascular complications in essential hypertensive patients, is also related to quality of life, especially in its physical aspects.