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(Hypertension. 2007;50:e158.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

Increased Blood Pressure Variability in Aging Rats After Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Department of Pediatric Nephrology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Joanna A.E. van Wijk

Department of Pediatric Nephrology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Henriette A. Delemarre-van de Waal

Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

To the Editor:

To determine which aspect of blood pressure is associated the most with end-organ damage, several parameters are used like average blood pressure, pulse pressure, and blood pressure variability. In a recent article, Tatasciore et al¹ showed that blood pressure variability is more closely associated with cardiovascular damage than mean blood pressure levels.

An increased blood pressure and a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases are frequently described after intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).² It has also been shown that blood pressure variability is highest in children with the lowest birth weights.³ However, data during aging on blood pressure variability after IUGR are lacking.

We have shown previously that IUGR in a rat model of uteroplacental dysfunction based on uterine artery ligation leads to an increase in blood pressure and pulse pressure in aging rats.⁴ We used telemetry to acquire these longitudinal data, because this allowed for measurements in conscious and freely moving animals. To address the issue of aging and blood pressure variability after IUGR, we restudied our data on the nighttime blood pressure and heart rate in this previously described group of male animals at the ages of 6 and 12 months.⁴ It has been shown previously in rats, as well, that blood pressure variability is a more critical determinant of cardiovascular damage rather than the blood pressure levels.⁵ The variability in blood pressure and heart rate was defined as the SD of the respective parameter during the 12-hour period of measurement, during which 1 value was stored . . . [Full Text of this Article]