Blood Pressure Variability: Evaluation, Prognosis and Clinical Significance

One of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease is blood pressure. The majority of research has employed mean blood pressure, which is assessed in "out of office" or clinic settings, as a risk indicator. On the other hand, both short- and long-term variations in blood pressure are discernible. In the past, blood pressure fluctuation has been seen as a problem that has to be addressed by better monitoring since it makes it difficult to estimate mean blood pressure accurately. This unpredictability has also been acknowledged as a possible risk factor in and of itself for at least 20 years. Long-term variations in blood pressure were found to be predictive of coronary events and stroke in high-risk individuals.