Relationship between Blood Pressure and Nocturia in Hypertensive Patients

Objective: We investigated the relationship between the pattern of hypertension and nocturia. Methods: Seventy-seven patients who were being treated for hypertension completed a questionnaire regarding the number of times they urinated during the day and at night, and measured their blood pressure at home immediately after rising in the morning and just before going to sleep at night. The patients' blood pressure was also measured at the clinic. The patients were divided into groups according to their blood pressure patterns. The relationship between blood pressure pattern and number of urinations during the day and at night was investigated. Results: When the patients were divided into white coat hypertension, masked hypertension, sustained hypertension, and normotension groups, the number of daytime urinations was significantly lower in the sustained hypertension group compared with the normotension and white coat hypertension groups. When the subjects were divided into morning blood pressure surge and non-morning surge groups or into morning hypertension and non-morning hypertension groups, the numbers of nighttime urinations was significantly higher in the morning surge group or the morning hypertension group compared with the non-morning surge group or non-morning hypertension group, respectively. Conclusion: Sustained hypertension and elevation of blood pressure in the early morning influence the frequency of daytime and nighttime urination, respectively. It is important to control both the blood pressure and nocturia of hypertensive patients to improve their prognosis.