Description

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease, and it is a fatal disease causing stroke, myocardial infarction and heart failure. Effective blood pressure management can greatly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The control rate of hypertension in China is very severe. A national survey in 2002 showed that the control rate for hypertension was 6.1%. Another latest survey showed that among the 1.7 million Chinese aged 35 to 75, the detection rate of hypertension was 37 percent, among which the awareness rate and treatment rate and control rate were 36%, 23% and 6% respectively.

Traditionally, BP in the office or clinic has been assessed with the auscultatory technique, which has survived to this day in clinical practice. Although the technique is inherently accurate, it is dependent on observer attention to detail, which is lacking, and it provides only a momentary measurement of BP, usually under circumstances that can influence the level of BP being measured. To overcome these serious methodology problems, 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure techniques has been developed.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a major innovation in the development of hypertension diagnosis, and China has more than 20-year experience in clinical application of blood pressure monitoring. It measures blood pressure in a person's daily life and finds "masked hypertension", "white coat hypertension", "isolated nocturnal hypertension", "morning hypertension" and other special hypertension types. Compared with the office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure can better predict the incidence of target organ damage and cardiovascular events.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring not only can accurately assess blood pressure level, but also evaluate the effect of hypertensive therapy. Therefore, 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be the first choice for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Finally, we should promote the clinical application of 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to greatly improve the management level of hypertension in China and effectively reduce the risk caused by hypertension in the population.

Information of hypertensive patients with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was prospectively registered nationwide,and then to investigate whether there was difference in cardiovascular prognosis according to the control of ABP.