Relation of diurnal blood pressure variation and triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in patients without diabetes mellitus

A night-time decrease in systolic blood pressure that differs <10% from mean daytime values ("nondipping") is associated with increased rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that insulin resistance would be associated with non-dipping in patients who did not have frank diabetes mellitus or hypertension. We included 106 consecutive outpatients who had been referred for 24-hour ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure. Our data suggest that insulin resistance, defined as a high ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein, is associated with blunted diurnal blood pressure variation (odds ratio 6.3, 95% confidence interval 2.6 to 16.4, p < 0.0001) before the development of abnormal levels of fasting blood glucose. (C) 2005 by Excerpta Medica Inc.