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Blood pressure load: The percentage of blood pressure (BP) readings above a certain threshold
Level [2]. On default this is according to the recommended thresholds of 135/85 mmHg during
daytime and 120/70 mmHg during the night time. However these threshold levels can be changed
with the button "report settings".
Normal values: The
recommended levels of normality for ambulatory BP measurement in adults
is 135 mmHg and 85 mmHg during daytime (Awake) for systolic and diastolic pressure,
respectively. For night time (Asleep) these values are 120 mmHg and 70 mmHg for systolic and
diastolic pressure [3]. In the PDF graph the normal values are provided with the horizontal grey
bars.
Percentage of successful readings: According to European Society of Hypertension (ESH)
recommendations the percentage of successful readings should be similar to or more than 70%
[4]. When the percentage of readings is lower than 70% the number will be provided in red,
which indicates that another 24-hour measurement should be taken.
Dip: The percentage at which blood pressure decreases at night. Dip is calculated with the
following formula: (awake BP - asleep BP) / (awake BP) * 100% [5]. Several studies have
shown that there is an inverse correlation with cardiovascular risk and blood pressure decrease
during the night [6, 7]. Some even have shown that the nocturnal blood pressure is the best
prognostic factor for cardiovascular mortality [8, 9]. Patients can be classified as dippers (≥10%
decrease in BP at night) and non-dippers (<10% decrease in BP at night) the latter group is
expected to have a poorer cardiovascular prognosis than dippers [6]. See also Figure 1 for
classification based on calculation.
Figure 1.
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