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Masked hypertension (MHT) is a popular entity with increased risk of developing sustained hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and death. Subjects have normal blood pressure (BP) at office but elevated values at night so it is difficult to diagnose. Exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise (EBPR) is also a predictor of future hypertension. To investigate the relationship between these two entities, we evaluated 61 normotensive subjects with EBPR. The subjects underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The prevalence of masked hypertension among subjects with EBPR was 41%%%. Body mass index (BMI), non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at peak exercise and recovery, nondipping DBP pattern, and elevated early morning average BPs were associated with masked hypertension. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the DBP measured at peak exercise was detected as an independent predictor of MHT in subjects with EBPR. Subjects with abnormally elevated BP during exercise are prone to MHT, necessitate medical assessment and close follow-up for hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An increased prevalence of masked hypertension (MHT) has been demonstrated among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). MHT appears to cause cardiovascular (CV) complications similar to clinically overt hypertension. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous nitric oxide inhibitor and higher plasma levels of ADMA are related to increased CV risk in both the general population and among patients with DM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between MHT and ADMA in diabetic patients. Methods: This study included DM patients (n = 131) with normal office blood pressure (<140/90 mmHg). None of the participants were using antihypertensive medications. All participants utilized an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) for 24 h. Serum ADMA and arginine levels were measured using the fluorescence detector high performance liquid chromatography method. Results: The prevalence of MHT was 24.4% among the study subjects. ADMA levels were increased in the MHT group when compared with normotensive diabetics (6.2 ± 2.2 vs 4.2 ± 1.7 μmol/L p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, arginine/ADMA ratio was lower in the MHT group than among the normotensive group (29.9 ± 12.1 vs 46.0 ± 19.0 p = 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression model, ADMA, BMI and HDL levels were found to be independent predictors of MHT Odds ratio: 1.63 (1.28–2.06), 1.19 (1.05–1.35), and 0.95 (0.90–0.99), respectively. The cut-off value of the ADMA was 4.34 μmol/L with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 84.4%, 59.6%, of 40.3%, and 92.2%, respectively (AUC = 0.78). Conclusions: Serum ADMA may play a role in both the pathophysiology and screening of MHT in DM subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]