Blood Pressure Variability Versus Blood Pressure Level in Risk Stratification

Whether naturally occurring blood pressure variability predicts risk over and beyond blood pressure level remains debated. Partially, the contradiction in the current literature might find its origin in the technique used to measure blood pressure, the interval over which blood pressure variability is assessed, and the statistical indexes applied to capture blood pressure variability from recordings. This article will review the currently available literature of established and newly developed indexes of blood pressure variability. Our interpretation of the evidence is that blood pressure variability does not substantially add to risk stratification over and beyond the blood pressure level.