Abstract:
Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in diabetes and the risk is even greater in those with hypertension. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between CAN and 24-h blood pressure profile in normoalbuminuric patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Seventy patients with Type 2 diabetes (31 without CAN, 39 with CAN), who had no history of hypertension, and 29 healthy volunteers underwent five standard cardiovascular reflex tests to assess autonomic function and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Twenty-four-hour mean systolic blood pressure, blood pressure load and hyperbaric impact values were significantly higher in diabetic patients with CAN compared with control subjects and diabetic patients without CAN (P < 0.05). In spite of normal clinic blood pressures, 54% of diabetic subjects with CAN and 29% without CAN were hypertensive (systolic blood pressure load > 20%, P < 0.05). In the diabetes group as a whole, Valsalva ratio, postural systolic blood pressure changes and diastolic blood pressure responses during sustained handgrip correlated significantly and negatively with 24-h mean systolic blood pressure (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, P < 0.05) and blood pressure load (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, P < 0.05). Istenes, Keresztes, Hermányi, Putz, Vargha, Gandhi, Tesfaye, Kempler, (2008). Relationship between autonomic neuropathy and hypertension–are we underestimating the problem? Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association, 2008 Jul;25(7):863-66. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18513306