Prognostic significance of the nocturnal decline in blood pressure in individuals with and without high 24-h blood pressure

To examine the relationship between the normal nocturnal decline in blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular mortality in individuals with and without high 24-h blood pressure values.

We obtained 24-h ambulatory blood pressure readings from 1542 residents of Ohasama, Japan, who were aged 40 years or more and were representative of the Japanese general population. We then followed up their survival for a mean of 9.2 years. The relationship was analysed using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for possible confounding factors.