Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Hypertensive Diseases Committee, American College of Cardiology

Randomized Trial of Acupuncture to Lower Blood Pressure

Background— Arterial hypertension is a prime cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population. Pharmacological treatment has limitations resulting from drug side effects, costs, and patient compliance. Thus, we investigated whether traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture is able to lower blood pressure.

Methods and Results— We randomized 160 outpatients (age, 58±8 years; 78 men) with uncomplicated arterial hypertension in a single-blind fashion to a 6-week course of active acupuncture or sham acupuncture (22 sessions of 30 minutes’ duration). Seventy-eight percent were receiving antihypertensive medication, which remained unchanged. Primary outcome parameters were mean 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure levels after the treatment course and 3 and 6 months later. One hundred forty patients finished the treatment course (72 with active treatment, 68 with sham treatment). There was a significant ( P <0.001) difference in posttreatment blood pressures adjusted for baseline values between the active and sham acupuncture groups at the end of treatment. For the primary outcome, the difference between treatment groups amounted to 6.4 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.5 to 9.2) and 3.7 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.6 to 5.8) for 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively. In the active acupuncture group, mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased significantly after treatment by 5.4 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.2 to 7.6) and 3.0 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.5 to 4.6), respectively. At 3 and 6 months, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures returned to pretreatment levels in the active treatment group.

Conclusions— Acupuncture according to traditional Chinese medicine, but not sham acupuncture, after 6 weeks of treatment significantly lowered mean 24-hour ambulatory blood pressures; the effect disappeared after cessation of acupuncture treatment.

Applications of 24-hour Noninvasive Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Casual blood pressure (CBP) measurements using a standard sphygmomanometer have traditionally constituted the principal modality for the assessment and management of hypertension. However, CBP measurement has shortcomings. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) provides abundant information on blood pressure (BP), including heart rate, all BP readings for test periods, BP average, BP variability, BP load, load index, distribution pattern of BP, reduction percentage of BP, trough/peak ratio, and summary statistics for overall 24-hour, daytime and nighttime periods. Over the last three decades, ABPM has evolved from a research device to an established and valuable clinical tool for assessment and management of hypertension. This technology has been proven to be useful in terms of the distribution pattern of BP, characterization of BP profiles in normotensive and hypertensive patients, evaluation of patients with mild or labile hypertension, physiologic and psychologic factors for fluctuation of BP, load index study, study of white coat hypertension, etiology of hypertension, prognosis of hypertension, and assessment of antihypertensive management. Nevertheless, the technology remains underused due to lack of insurance reimbursement in most countries. Accordingly, insurance reimbursement is crucial to promote increased utility of ABPM. Clinicians should be familiar with the role of this technology in the care of patients with abnormal BP. This review is an attempt to increase clinicians' understanding of ABPM and the appropriate use of this technology.

Morning versus evening administration of a calcium channel blocker in combination therapy for essential hypertension by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring analysis

Patients with moderate to severe hypertension may need more than two antihypertensive drugs in combination to achieve ideal blood pressure (BP) control. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of administering the antihypertensive agents either all together in the morning or separately with two agents in the morning and one calcium channel blocker (CCB) in the evening. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was performed among 15 patients (mean, 59 years) with moderate to severe essential hypertension. All patients received at least 3 antihypertensive drugs for ideal BP control. Two treatment regimens were given to each patient: Regimen 1: All antihypertensive agents were given once a day in the morning; Regimen 2: All antihypertensive agents were given in the morning, except the CCB which was given at 4:00 pm. After receiving regimen 1 for 4 weeks, each patient underwent 24-hour ABPM to analyze the BP control. After the first ABPM, each patient was switched to regimen 2. After 4 weeks of treatment with regimen 2, each patient underwent the second ABPM measurement. The pretreatment mean systolic and diastolic BP were 179.6 +/- 21.7 and 107.4 +/- 19.9 mmHg, respectively. Between the two regimens, there was no significant difference in the mean 24-hour BP (126.1 +/- 5.8/73.3 +/- 3.8 versus 130.2 +/- 6.2/75.1 +/- 4.7 mmHg), daytime BP (128.2 +/- 6.5/75.3 +/- 3.8 versus 132.4 +/- 5.8/77.2 +/- 4.4 mmHg), nighttime BP (125.2 +/- 4.9/72.4 +/- 3.3 versus 130.9 +/- 6.2/73.8 +/- 4.1 mmHg), and 24-hour heart rate (65.1 +/- 3.8 versus 64.2 +/- 3.4 bpm). The circadian BP and heart rate profiles were almost identical between regimen 1 and regimen 2. We conclude that in patients with moderate to severe hypertension treated with at least 3 antihypertensive agents, administering a CCB simultaneously with other antihypertensive agents in the morning or separately in the evening did not affect the 24-hour BP control.

Primary care physician beliefs regarding usefulness of self-monitoring of blood pressure

BACKGROUND

Recent studies suggest that the self-monitoring of blood pressure (SMBP) may improve the identification and control of hypertension. Although endorsed by the Joint National Committee VII guidelines, home monitoring is not currently part of the standard care of hypertension.

OBJECTIVE

To assess community- and university-based primary care physicians' opinions of SMBP.

METHODS

A written, 5-point, Likert-scale questionnaire was mailed to physicians in a primary care research network.

RESULTS

We received completed surveys from 138 of 170 providers (81%). Physician ages ranged from 25 to 72 years. Half of the providers were female, and approximately half were residents. Most physicians (63%) reported having patients using SMBP. Physician opinions of SMBP were unrelated to age, gender and number of years in practice. Three key beliefs were expressed: SMBP could be useful, economical and problematic. Community-based physicians were more likely than university-based physicians to believe in the benefits of SMBP use, and to disagree that the use of SMBP could cause problems for them or their patients (P < 0.05). Compared with their peers, physicians with fewer than five patients using SMBP agreed more strongly with statements that SMBP use could cause problems for themselves and their patients in hypertension treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the providers responded that SMBP could be useful to them in managing hypertension but seem hesitant to endorse it fully at this time, possibly anticipating potential problems that could arise with SMBP use. Physicians with more patients using self-monitoring were more likely to endorse it.

Neither Perceived Job Stress Nor Individual Cardiovascular Reactivity Predict High Blood Pressure

We have reported that high job strain was associated with a significantly higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 4.5 mm Hg during the working hours, irrespective of BP reactivity to a stress test. We report the final results of the first 5-year follow-up study, which aimed to assess the respective influences of perception of professional strain and cardiovascular reactivity to a mental stress test on BP. A cohort of 292 healthy subjects (mean±SEM age, 38±1 years) was followed up for progression to hypertension outcome, which was defined as an increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) or DBP >7 mm Hg or a DBP >95 mm Hg during follow-up. None of the subjects was lost to follow-up, and 209 subjects completed the study. The high-strain (HS) group, representing 20.9% of the subjects, was compared with the remaining subjects (non-high-strain [NHS]). Similarly, the subjects with the highest BP stress reactivity (HR; 20.9% of subjects) were compared with the remaining subjects (NHR). Progression to hypertension was reached by 93 subjects (31.8%). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates revealed that neither HS nor HR increased the incidence of progression to hypertension. End-of-follow-up 24-hour ambulatory BPs that were similar in HS and NHS (120±2 vs 120±1 mm Hg, respectively) and in HR and NHR (122±2 vs 120±1 mm Hg, respectively) confirmed our findings. Age, alcohol, salt diet, body mass index, and occupation did not interfere with our results. In conclusion, cardiovascular HR and HS do not appear to be major risk markers for future high BP in healthy, young adults.

Favorable patient acceptance of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in a primary care setting in the United States: a cross-sectional survey

Background

The use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in the diagnosis and management of hypertension in primary care settings in the United States is increasing. Insufficient information is available describing patients' experiences and acceptance of this technology in the United States, where medical insurance coverage of the procedure is often limited. The objective of this study was to describe patient satisfaction with ABPM performed in a primary care office in the United States, using modern ABPM technology.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey performed on consecutive patients referred to the ABPM service of the Family Care Center, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa from January 2001 to July 2003. Measures of patient satisfaction and acceptance with the device, comfort, and overall session were assessed via a 9-question, Likert-scale response survey.

Results

Since its inception two and a half years ago, 245 total ABPM sessions have been conducted in 235 unique patients. Of the 235 eligible respondents, 177 returned completed surveys, yielding a 75% response rate. Three-fourths (75%) of patients believed that undergoing the test was worthwhile considering the time and monetary cost involved, while most (90%) reported they thought the information provided by the test would be helpful to their physician in making treatment decisions. Patients reporting that their physician had clearly explained the benefit of undergoing the testing were more likely to report that they thought the results of the test would be more helpful in making treatment decisions. Few patients (20%) found that wearing the monitor was uncomfortable.

Conclusions

When clinically indicated, clinicians should not hesitate to order ABPM testing for fear of subjecting patients to an uncomfortable test, or an uncovered insurance benefit. When ordering ABPM, they should be sure to educate the patient about the potential benefits of undergoing the testing. Most patients believe the test will provide useful information in making treatment decisions, despite probable lack of insurance coverage, and appear willing to experience some discomfort for the overall gain of the results obtained from undergoing the session.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Noninvasive, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has evolved over the past 25 years from a novel research tool of limited clinical use into an important and useful modality for stratifying cardiovascular risk and guiding therapeutic decisions. Early clinical uses of ABPM were mostly focused on identifying patients with white-coat hypertension; however, accumulated evidence now points to greater prognostic significance in determining risk for hypertensive end-organ damage compared with office blood pressure measurements. Ambulatory measurement of blood pressure using automated devices has also demonstrated benefit in other indications, such as treatment resistance and borderline hypertension, and is recommended by the Joint National Committee for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in a number of clinical scenarios. Medicare recently announced plans to begin reimbursement for ABPM, which will likely increase demand for ABPM services. Clinicians should become familiar with the role of this technology in the care of the hypertensive patient.

Noninvasive 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: overview of technology and clinical applications

During the last 25 years, 24-hour noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has evolved from a research tool of limited clinical use into an important tool for stratifying cardiovascular risk and guiding therapeutic decisions. Until recently, clinical use of ABPM focused on identifying patients with white-coat hypertension, but accumulated evidence now points to greater prognostic significance of ABPM in determining risk for target-organ damage compared with that of office blood pressure measurements. Clinicians involved in the care of patients with hypertension should familiarize themselves with the role of this technology and how to use it in an appropriate and cost-effective manner.

Perceived job stress but not individual cardiovascular reactivity to stress is related to higher blood pressure at work

Psychological stress has been reported to be related to higher blood pressure (BP) and unfavorable cardiovascular profile. However, because of the complexity of personal stress management, a multilevel stress measurement strategy is needed. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the respective influences of the subjective perception of professional strain (high demand and low latitude) and cardiovascular reactivity to a stress test (Stroop stress test) on BP. Worksite BP was measured in 303 healthy normotensive subjects, 18 to 55 years of age, who worked in the same chemical company. In a subset of 70 randomly selected subjects, 24-hour ambulatory BP was performed to assess BP during working hours. The 20% of subjects who reported the highest job strain (high-strain group) or the highest BP stress reactivity (high-responder group) were compared with the remaining subjects (80%) (non-high-strain or low-responder groups). Subjects who submitted to the highest job strain had significantly higher ambulatory diastolic BP (4.5 mm Hg, P=0.015) during only working hours, whereas BP was similar during the remaining hours. Worksite BP and stress cardiovascular reactivity were similar between job strain groups. BP stress reactivity did not influence worksite and ambulatory BP. Spontaneous BP variability assessed by standard deviation and spectral analysis was equivalent between complementary groups. Prevalence of microalbuminuria was significantly higher in the high-responder group (8.2% versus 2.5% in low responders) and only slightly higher in the high-strain group (6.2% versus 3.2% in non-high strain). Potential confounding factors, such as age, gender, alcohol consumption, salt intake, body mass index, and occupation, which were equivalent between groups, did not interfere with our results. Our study quantifies high-professional strain effects on BP levels that appear to be higher only during the working period and to be independent from spontaneous BP variability and stress BP reactivity.

The importance of 24-h blood pressure control

The primary goal of antihypertensive therapy is to restore blood pressure to normal levels and to prevent the complications associated with hypertension. In order to maximize these goals by improving patient compliance, clinical researchers have focused on developing antihypertensive agents that can be given once daily. These agents provide many advantages over multiple-dose daily therapies, but it should not be assumed that they are all equivalent in providing adequate blood pressure control over the full 24-h dosing interval. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring has uncovered important differences in commonly used once-daily therapies and has provided additional insights into the cardiovascular risks associated with high blood pressure loads and blood pressure variability. In addition to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data, the calculated trough:peak ratio provides useful information on an agent's ability to provide smooth and consistent blood pressure control. Using such assessments, it has been found that agents with a trough:peak ratio > or = 0.50 are better able to control blood pressure over the full 24h while maintaining natural circadian patterns. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring studies assessing a recently introduced class of antihypertensive drugs, the angiotensin receptor blockers, have demonstrated 24-h efficacy with once-daily dosing, particularly with the newer agents.

Prognostic value of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in refractory hypertension: a prospective study

The objective of this study was to establish whether ambulatory blood pressure offers a better estimate of cardiovascular risk than does its clinical blood pressure counterpart in refractory hypertension. This prospective study assessed the incidence of cardiovascular events over time during an average follow-up of 49 months (range, 6 to 96). Patients were referred to specialized hypertension clinics (86 essential hypertension patients who had diastolic blood pressure > 100 mm Hg during antihypertensive treatment that included three or more antihypertensive drugs, one being a diuretic). Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed at the time of entrance. End-organ damage was monitored yearly, and the incidence of cardiovascular events was recorded. Patients were divided into tertiles of average diastolic blood pressure during activity according to the ABPM, with the lowest tertile <88 mm Hg (LT, n=29), the middle tertile 88 to 97 mm Hg (MT, n=29), and the highest tertile >97 mm Hg (HT, n=28). While significant differences in systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressures were observed among groups, no differences were observed at either the beginning or at the time of the last evaluation for office blood pressure. During the last evaluation, a progression in the end-organ damage score was observed for the HT group but not for the two other groups. Twenty-one of the patients had a new cardiovascular event; the incidence of events was significantly lower for the LT group (2.2 per 100 patient-years) than it was for the MT group (9.5 per 100 patient-years) or for the HT group (13.6 per 100 patient-years). The probability of event-free survival was also significantly different when comparing the LT group with the other two groups (LT versus MT log-rank, P<.04; LT versus HT log-rank, P<.006). The HT group was an independent risk factor for the incidence of cardiovascular events (relative risk, 6.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.38 to 28.1, P<.02). Higher values of ambulatory blood pressure result in a worse prognosis in patients with refractory hypertension, supporting the recommendation that ABPM is useful in stratifying the cardiovascular risk in patients with refractory hypertension.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a useful clinical tool in nephrology

Hypertension is a key factor in the genesis and deterioration of many renal diseases and is also a risk factor for death in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the standard methods of measurement are prone to variability, especially in patients undergoing dialysis. The technique of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring allows a better assessment of overall blood pressure levels and promises to assume a bigger role in the care of renal patients. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is widely used in hypertension trials, and the reports of several consensus meetings on the clinical uses of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring have been published. Two similar validation protocols now exist for ambulatory blood pressure monitors, and tables of population-based normal blood pressures for age and gender are available. The available evidence suggests that ambulatory blood pressure compared with blood pressure measured in the physician's office is better correlated to left ventricular mass in subjects with chronic renal disease. Furthermore, studies in subjects with chronic renal disease and those undergoing renal replacement therapy show that blood pressure control is suboptimal in many patients and that nocturnal blood pressure is generally higher than in control subjects. Further insights into overall blood pressure behavior in this population will certainly emerge in the future.

Current clinical pathophysiologic considerations in essential hypertension

Over the years, much has been learned from unraveling the pathophysiological alterations associated with the hypertensive diseases. Despite this large base of fundamental and clinical information, our knowledge continues to expand. This article discusses the multifactorial nature of hypertensive disease, including the vascular and cardiac participation in the elevation of arterial pressure and in target organ involvement by the disease. Some of the most exciting advances of the last decade are summarized in this review.

Comparison of enalapril to captopril by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

The efficacy of a once-daily dose of enalapril was compared with a thrice-daily dose of captopril in an open-label, randomized parallel group study of 27 hypertensive patients. The patients were monitored using conventional measurements of blood pressure and with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy. The end points were 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime mean blood pressure values and the percentage of elevated systolic and diastolic measurements, reflecting the "hypertensive load." Enalapril reduced mean 24-hour systolic blood pressure by 18 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 11 mmHg. The comparative values for captopril were 9 mmHg and 2 mmHg, respectively. The mean daytime systolic blood pressure was reduced by 20 mmHg with enalapril versus 7 mmHg with captopril; the diastolic values were lowered by 11 mmHg with enalapril versus 4 mmHg with captopril. The mean nighttime systolic blood pressure was lowered by 16 mmHg with enalapril versus 12 mmHg with captopril; the diastolic values were reduced by 10 mmHg with enalapril and 5 mmHg with captopril. No major side effects were recorded in either group. A single daily 20-mg dose of enalapril, therefore, proved to be equipotent or superior to 75 mg of captopril administered in three divided doses.

Endogenous beta-endorphins in hypertension: correlation with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to determine whether hypertensive patients showed increased endogenous opioid tone and to find a possible correlation between beta-endorphin levels and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure. We also investigated whether circulating beta-endorphin levels were associated with pain perception at rest.

BACKGROUND

Experimental studies suggest an involvement of the endogenous opioid system in cardiovascular control mechanisms.

METHODS

We determined baseline beta-endorphin plasma levels by radioimmunoassay in 81 consecutive subjects (48 hypertensive, 33 normotensive) after a 30-min rest and before 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. In 72 of 81 subjects with a dental formula suitable for the pulpar test (graded increase of test current -0 to 0.03 mA applied to three healthy teeth), pain perception was also investigated.

RESULTS

Hypertensive patients showed higher beta-endorphin plasma levels than normotensive subjects (p < 0.002). Circulating endogenous opioid levels correlated with 24-h diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), whereas the relation with systolic pressure did not reach statistical significance. When 24-h blood pressure recordings were divided into daytime and nighttime values, and blood pressure loads (percent of measurements > or = 140 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and > or = 90 mm Hg for diastolic pressure) were calculated, a significant correlation was found between beta-endorphin levels and diastolic pressures and load. Similarly, presampling diastolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with beta-endorphin levels. Of the 72 subjects tested, hypertensive patients showed a lower pain sensitivity than normotensive subjects. A positive correlation was found between pain threshold and circulating beta-endorphin levels (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Sustained arterial pressure is probably involved in the tonic activation of cardiovascular mechanisms linked to endogenous opioid tone. Circulating plasma endorphins may account, at least in part, for the pain perception pattern relating to blood pressure levels at rest.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Application to clinical medicine and antihypertension medication trials

The wide use of ABPM has resulted in greater appreciation of the circadian time structure of BP variability and its clinical relevance. It is now recognized that the day-night change in BP results from an interplay of circadian rhythms in neurohumoral mechanisms coupled with temporal patterns in physical activity and mental load. The composite effect and balance of these endogenous and exogenous cyclic phenomena give rise to elevated BP during diurnal activity and reduced BP during nighttime repose in both normotension and uncomplicated essential hypertension. The balance is frequently disturbed in complicated and secondary forms of hypertension causing gross alteration of the 24-hour BP profile. ABPM also reveals the efficiency of antihypertensive treatment throughout the 24 hours and as a function of drug administration time. The pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics of antihypertensive medications have been demonstrated to vary with ingestion time. Such time-dependencies arise from circadian rhythms in BP and underlying mechanisms. The effect of antihypertensive medications is not simply superimposed upon endogenous bioperiodicities. Rhythms in neurohumoral mechanisms of BP control may modulate treatment effect. Certain aspects of the shape of the 24-hour BP profile, such as the magnitude of the morning surge and nocturnal decrease, have been implicated as determinants of morbid and mortal cardiovascular events. One large clinical multicenter investigation, known as the CONVINCE (Controlled Onset Verapamil Investigation of Clinical Endpoints) trial, is aimed at assessing the impact (cardiovascular morbidity and mortality) of verapamil chronotherapy over standard diuretic or beta anatagonist treatment in hypertensive patients with at least one risk factor of coronary heart disease. ABPM will help ascertain to what extent depression of the morning surge in BP relates to reduction in cardiac morbidity and mortality in this as well as other such trials. In any event, the importance of ABPM and the indices derived from its application are just beginning to be appreciated and explored.

Long-term reproducibility and usefulness of daytime recording of noninvasive 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in borderline hypertension: a two-year follow-up study

We investigated the long-term reproducibility of noninvasive 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) compared with casual blood pressure measurements in 54 individuals (47 +/- 11 years) with borderline hypertension. ABPM and casual blood pressure measurements were obtained 3 times over 2 year period. ABPM data were analyzed to determine the average 24-hour blood pressure (24-BP), the average blood pressure during the waking hours (Day-BP), and the average blood pressure from the time the subject went to bed until he awoke (Night-BP). ABPM measurements were similar for Year 1, 2, and 3 (24-BP: Year 1; 130 +/- 10/79 +/- 6 mmHg; Year 2; 130 +/- 10/79 +/- 7 mmHg; and Year 3; 130 +/- 10/78 +/- 7 mmHg). Bland-Altman analysis and standard deviation of the difference also indicated the reproducibility of 24-BP was better than casual pressure. The 24-BP was significantly correlated with both Day-BP and Night-BP for each year. Day-BP showed the stronger correlation. Our results suggest that Day-BP provides reproducible estimation in subjects with borderline hypertension.

Heart rate variability in pheochromocytoma

The results of our study show that parasympathetic tone was higher in patients with pheochromocytoma than in patients with primary hypertension. An unusual spectral form of vagal activity was seen during excessive beta-adrenergic stimulation, while persistent hypertension with an excessive alpha-adrenergic stimulation was responsible for low cardiac sympathetic tone, probably due to desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptors.

Comparison of the 10-minute supine-30-minute tilt test with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure for the diagnosis of diastolic systemic hypertension

A variant of the protracted tilt test, the 10-minute supine -30-minute tilt test (10S-30TT), has been proposed by us for the evaluation of blood pressure (BP). The present investigation compares parameters of diastolic BP by 3 methods: office measurements, 10S-30TT, and 24-hour ambulatory monitoring; the last method served as a reference standard. Twenty patients presenting at the office with diastolic BP values ranging from 80 to 120 mm Hg (median 90) were studied. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the following parameters: diastolic office BP and average ambulatory awake diastolic BP (r = 0.64, p = 0.002); average tilt-test diastolic BP and average ambulatory awake diastolic BP (r = 0.69, p = 0.0006); frequency of elevated diastolic BP values during the tilt test and frequency of elevated ambulatory awake diastolic BP values (r = 0.69, p = 0.0007). Diastolic BP diagnosis scores exhibited strong correlation only between the ambulatory and tilt-test diagnosis (kappa = 0.70), but not between ambulatory and office BP diagnosis (kappa = 0.50). Based on the close correlation between results of the 10S-30TT and ambulatory monitoring in the evaluation of diastolic BP, we suggest that the faster and cheaper tilt test may serve as a substitute in certain categories of patients.