Association between B‐type natriuretic peptide and within‐visit blood pressure variability

Background Blood pressure variability (BPV) has been shown to predict cardiovascular events. Within‐visit BPV is the simplest and easiest measure of BPV, but previous studies have shown conflicts as to whether within‐visit BPV correlates with target organ damage. We aimed to evaluate whether within‐visit BPV correlates with B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in a general population. Hypothesis Within‐visit BPV correlates with BNP in a general population. Methods This was a cross‐sectional study that included 633 individuals, randomly selected, age 45 to 99 years, registered in the primary care program from an urban medium‐sized town. Patients were scheduled for a single‐day visit that consisted of clinical evaluation and laboratory tests. Three blood pressure (BP) readings, 1 minute apart, were done, and within‐visit BPV was determined as the coefficient of variation (CV) of the 3 BP measures. Our main outcome was to correlate BNP and within‐visit BPV. A multivariable model was estimated using a generalized linear model to evaluate the independent effects of different variables on BNP levels. Results The median age was 57 years. Median BNP was 16 pg/mL, and the median systolic and diastolic BP‐CV were, respectively, 3.9% and 3.5%. There was a weak but positive correlation between BNP and both systolic BP‐CV and diastolic BP‐CV ( r = 0.107 and P = 0.007 and r = 0.092 and P = 0.019, respectively). In multiple regression equation, systolic BP, diastolic BP‐CV, body mass index, and estimated glomerular filtration rate were associated with BNP. Conclusions In the present study, there was a positive, albeit weak, correlation between within‐visit BPV and BNP. In addition, diastolic BPV was associated with BNP even after adjustment for multiple confounders.