OBSERVED EFFECTS OF BODY MASS INDEX ON BLOOD PRESSURE DIPPING PATTERN, IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

During a normal 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), there should be a more than 10% drop in average nighttime blood pressure (BP), compared to the average daytime BP. This is called the normal ABPM dipping pattern. Abnormal dipping patterns occur when the average night-time blood pressure drop is lower than 10%. A high body mass index has been described as a contributing factor for unusual ABPM dipping patterns, which predisposes an individual to a higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. The goal of this research was to assess the link between the body mass index (BMI) and the dipping pattern during ABPM in the adult population who underwent ABPM at Cardiocare Abuja. Anthropometric data from 100 patients who had done ABPM were used, together with data obtained from the CONTEC ABPM50 device. The BMI was calculated with the weight and height, and they were grouped into weight classes using their BMI. The proportions of the various dipping patterns were then determined within each class. Majority of the participants involved in the study had BMI between 30-39 kg/m2. Those who presented with higher BMI classes were also discovered to have unusual dipping patterns, indicating a link with relation to the BMI and the ABPM dipping pattern. In the morbidly obese class, with BMI >40 kg/m2 there was a trend of the reverse dipping. It concluded that ABPM should be done routinely for persons with a high BMI for early detection of unusual dipping patterns and prompt intervention.