The effect is determined by the purpose of ambulatory blood pressure measurement. If the purpose is to assess the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs, there is no effect; if the purpose is to measure the circadian rhythm of blood pressure to guide the use of medication, there is an effect.
Measuring ambulatory blood pressure is a technique to monitor blood pressure continuously for 24 hours through an arterial blood pressure monitor, usually measuring blood pressure every 15-30 minutes, and analyzing indicators such as the average of 24-hour blood pressure, the average of daytime blood pressure, and the average of nighttime blood pressure based on the measured data, the circadian rhythm of blood pressure changes can be judged. The average value of blood pressure at each stage is taken as the final data, which is relatively accurate.
Antihypertensive drugs can be categorized into short-acting antihypertensive drugs and long-acting antihypertensive drugs according to the duration of efficacy. Short-acting antihypertensive drugs usually last for about 5-8 hours; long-acting antihypertensive drugs such as Fosinopril can maintain the antihypertensive effect for at least 24 hours.
Therefore, if you have taken antihypertensive drugs before measuring ambulatory blood pressure, the measured blood pressure value is the blood pressure value controlled by drugs, which can judge the antihypertensive effect of antihypertensive drugs, but cannot reflect the body’s own blood pressure changes.
Hypertensive patients who want to measure ambulatory blood pressure should be under the guidance of a professional doctor, and should not stop using antihypertensive drugs on their own, so as to avoid fluctuations in blood pressure, causing discomfort.