[Ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure profiles in in hypertensive patients 26-65 years of age].

We evaluated blood pressure profile in a population of 380 untreated hypertensives (210 males, 170 females, stage 1 and 2 JNC 1993) observed consecutively. A 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed using and A&D TM 2420 model 6 device programmed to measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure every 15 min from 7 am to 10 pm (daytime) and every 30 min from 10 pm to 7 am (night-time). Statistical analysis was carried out by dividing the patients into four groups on the basis of age: Group I, from 26 to 35 years (26 males, 14 females); Group II, from 36 to 45 years (48 males, 39 females); Group III, from 46 to 55 years (85 males, 72 females); Group IV, from 56 to 65 years (51 males, 45 females). Systolic blood pressure was higher in older male hypertensives (56 to 65 years) who also had a persistent systolic blood pressure elevation during night-time (non-dippers); diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in male hypertensives aged 36 to 55 years.