Using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to assess blood pressure of firefighters with parental history of hypertension.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of family history of systemic arterial hypertension (FSAH) on the effect of stress from work in Uniformed Firefighters (BMCs) through Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM).

Methods: A prospective case-control study. Sixty-six healthy BMC underwent ABPM during 12 hours of work at the Communication Center (CC). Thirty-four had hypertensive parents (group 1) and thirty-two had normotensive parents (group 2).

Results: Group I differed from group 2 in that it showed higher mean systolic (134.1 +/- 9.9 mmHg X 120.8 +/- 9.9 mmHg p < 0.0001) and diastolic (83.8 +/- 8.3 mmHg X 72.9 +/- 8.6 mmHg p < 0.001) blood pressure, in addition to greater systolic (31.4 +/- 25.6 % X 9.4 +/- 9.4 % p = 0.0001) and diastolic (28.3 +/- 26.6 % X 6.1 +/- 8.9 % p = 0.0001) loads. The prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) in group 1 at the workplace was 32.3%. Monitored away from the job, these subjects showed normal blood pressure (functionally hypertensive). Group 2 revealed normal blood pressure (BP) at work.

Conclusion: Higher blood pressure in BMC with hypertensive parents is explained independently by the SAH. Subjects who developed SAH during their work at the CC may be considered functionally hypertensive, whereas those with normotensive parents and who underwent psychological stress are free of blood pressure changes.