Effect of therapeutic lifestyle intervention on ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension

AIM:To investigate the effect of therapeutic lifestyle intervention on the ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive patients. METHODS: Two hundred and fortysix hypertensive patients were randomly divided into two groups: therapeutic lifestyle intervention group (n=130) with mandatory lifestyle intervention (lowsalt dietary and exercise) and control group (n=116) with routine lifestyle intervention. All subjects were given antihypertensive agents and 24h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed in all subjects before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After 1year treatment, decreased levels of 24h, nighttime blood pressure and daytime systolic blood pressure in intervention group were significantly higher than those in control group ［24 h SBP (22±6) mmHg (1 mmHg=0133 kPa) vs. (15±5) mmHg, nSBP (26±14) mmHg vs.(17±10) mmHg, 24 h DBP (10±7) mmHg vs.(8±5) mmHg, nDBP (11±7) mmHg vs.(9±6) mmHg, dSBP (20±8) mmHg vs.(14±7) mmHg, all P<005］. The decreased levels of daytime and nighttime SBP load (dSBP load and nSBP load) in intervention group were also significantly higher than those in control group ［(30±14) mmHgvs.(25±14) mmHg (43±24) mmHg vs.(31±18) mmHg, all P<005］. The outcome rate of dipper blood pressure and compliance rate of blood pressure in intervention group were significantly higher than those in control group (26% vs. 10% and 85% vs. 63%, all P<001). CONCLUSION: Therapeutic lifestyle interventions significantly lower the average blood pressure, especially the night blood pressure and systolic blood pressure load in patients with essential hypertension. Therapeutic lifestyle interventions may have some beneficial effects on the restoration of circadian rhythm.