24-Hour blood pressure variability as a predictor of short-term echocardiographic changes in normotensive women with past history of preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Objectives: To investigate the association between 24-hr blood pressure variability (BPV) and subclinical echocardiographic changes and microalbuminuria in normotensive women with history of preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Background: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been used as a valuable method in determining cardiovascular (CV) risk and target organ damage. Although hypertension and proteinuria that define preeclampsia/eclampsia may resolve in the majority of women, a significantly greater risk of CV and renal disease is present in their later life.