Non Dipping Blood Pressure

[indi1988]

Hi,
I went for my initial class one medical last week and my BP was elevated, 155/77, so the doctor recommended I go for a 24 hour BP test.
Did the 24 hour test and the average reading was 133/77, but the night time drop was only 4% for systolic, 12% drop for diastolic. I'm really worried as I may need to do it again? Readings did drop during the night but there were a few spikes that gave me an average of 128/66 during the night!
Can anyone advise on anything? has anyone gone through this as well?

[gingernut]

You're reassuringly average.

The 24hr bp recording seems a good idea in principle, but unfortunately, we haven't yet got a reliable algorythym to translate it into clinical use.

It sounds like your doc is trying to avoid putting you on treatment (which is usually life long), whilst at the same time helping you pass the medical.

I'd advise cutting down other risk factors for arterial disease, and it's probably a good idea to get it checked yearly.

Nothing I've said replaces the advice of your ame. Good luck, keep us informed.:)

[Rory Dixon]

Your mean arterial pressure (which probably tells more about your cardiac risk than the systolic pressure alone) is normal.
Nevertheless, I would look for a few things:
Do you have a heart murmur?
Did you have anything cardiovascular as a very small child?
Do you have any other symptoms like arthralgias, often cold fingers, or eleveated ESR/CRP values in your blood test?