Non-Dipper Blood Pressure Impact on Coronary Slow Flow in Hypertensive Patients With Normal Coronary Arteries

Objective: Coronary slow flow (CSF) is linked to myocardial ischemia, malignant arrhythmias, and cardiovascular mortality. On the other hand, hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for vascular disorders. There is limited research on the relationship between CSF and HTN. This study aimed to investigate TIMI frame count (TFC), which is an indicator of CSF, in dipper and non-dipper hypertensive individuals with normal coronary arteries. Methods: The study was conducted as a retrospective observational study. Patients diagnosed with CSF and dipper or non-dipper hypertension were included in this study. Blood tests were routinely conducted for all patients. ECG was conducted for each patient, and echocardiography was performed. Coronary artery images were obtained in the CAG laboratory. Blood pressure (BP) measurements were obtained from the ambulatory Holter records. The patients were separated into two groups based on ambulatory Holter monitoring. The relationship between CSF and HTN was also examined. Results: A total of 71 patients, comprising 25 women (37.2%) and 46 men (62.8%) with an average age of 52.75±9.42 years, were enrolled in the research. Based on ambulatory BP, the individuals were separated into two groups: non-dipper (n=36) and dipper (n=35). The pulse rate was significantly higher in the non-dipper group (p<0.001). In terms of mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, there were no substantial differences across the groups (p = 0.326 and p = 0.654, respectively). The daytime mean systolic and diastolic BP did not significantly differ across the groups (p = 0.842 and p = 0.421). The dipper group had substantially lower nighttime systolic and diastolic BP values (p <0.001). The LAD, Cx, and RCA TIMI frame scores were significantly lower in the dipper group (p<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, non-dipper patients had a greater CSF rate than dipper.