The American journal of the medical sciences
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Racial differences in ambulatory blood pressure and echocardiographic left ventricular geometry.
We examined the racial differences in left ventricular (LV) geometric pattern in relation to 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring and the presence or absence of a nocturnal BP dip. Our study confirms the blunting of nocturnal BP dip among black hypertensives. Body mass index, rather than race, was a major determinant of left ventricular hypertrophy. ⋯ A six-fold higher prevalence of concentric remodeling was observed in blacks as compared with whites. The impaired nocturnal BP dip in blacks may contribute to the different hemodynamic pattern. Determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption were significantly higher in black hypertensives.