Higashi Y, Oshima T, Ozono R, Nakano Y, Matsuura H, Kambe M,
Kajiyama G
Nocturnal blood pressure decline is attenuated by NaCl
loading in salt-sensitive patients with essential hypertension
50th Annual Fall Conference AHA Council for High Blood Pressure
Research
Hypertens
(Sep) 28:547 1996
A subset of hypertensive subjects is especially prone to the BP elevating
effects of increasing amounts of dietary sodium. It is however not known if
increased dietary sodium also blunts the usual decline in sleep blood
pressure.
The authors studied 26 salt-sensitive (SS) patients and 38 salt-resistant
(SR)
patients on two levels of sodium intake (50 mmol/day and 340 mmol/day)
using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. All patients followed each
level
of sodium intake for one week. Dipper status was defined in this study as
mean
BP change of more than 10% from day to night and nondipper as less than
10%. SS was defined as a mean BP change of greater than 10% from low to
high sodium intake.
By definition, the SS patients had higher mean BP during the high salt
intake
for both daytime and nighttime, while the mean BP was similar during the two
periods in the SR group. The proportion of non-dippers was higher in the SS
patients than in the SR patients during the high sodium intake (15/26 vs
10/38,
chi-square 6.4, p =.02).
Comment: At baseline in this study, there are more nondippers in the
SS group
compared to the SR group, which reflect some selection bias. If these
findings are confirmed, then salt sensitivity may confer additional hidden
dangers during the sleep period if subjects are on a high sodium intake. The
results of this study when published in detail will make interesting
reading.
(George Mansoor, M.D., University of Connecticut)
To go back use the BACK button on your browser.
Otherwise click on the desired link to this article below:
50th Annual Fall Conference AHA Council for High Blood Pressure
Research
H: Pathophysiology :
Salt (sodium, chloride) sensitivity
H: Exam and lab tests :
Ambulatory monitoring