Objective: Noninvasive blood pressure (BP) measurement often triggers a transient rise in BP, known as an alerting reaction. However, the prevalence and prognostic significance of the alerting reaction has never been assessed in the general population.
Methods: We evaluated the association between the alerting reaction and left ventricular mass by MRI and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio in the Dallas Heart Study, a large population sample of 3069 individuals. Participants were categorized into four groups based on levels of consecutive BP: first, normal first BP and average third to fifth (avg3-5) BP of less than 140/90 mmHg (control group); second, high first BP of at least 140/90 mmHg and normal (avg3-5) BP (alerting reaction group); third, normal first BP and high (avg3-5) BP; and fourth, high first to fifth BP. Then, associations between BP categories with incident cardiovascular outcomes (coronary heart disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and cardiovascular death) over a median follow-up period of 9.4 years were assessed.
Results: The sample-weighted prevalence of isolated hypertension during the first BP measurement was 9.6%. Presence of an alerting reaction was independently associated with increased left ventricular mass, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, cardiovascular events after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and baseline BP (adjusted hazard ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.43).
Conclusion: Our study indicated that the alerting reaction is independently associated with increased cardiovascular and renal complications.