ADMA (Asymmetric Dimethylarginine) level in dipper and nondipper hypertensive patients

Introduction: ADMA is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis and also is an indicator of endothelial dysfunction. Increased ADMA levels has been shown in many studies in patients with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, and congestive heart failure. Patients who has nondipper blood pressure pattern has been shown to exhibit more endothelial dysfunction than patients who has dipper blood pressure pattern. However , other endogenous markers, but not ADMA, are used to assess endothelial function in these studies. In our study, we used ADMA levels to campare differences in endothelial function between each groups.Material-method: This study includes 87 patients who admitted to Düzce University, Cardiology outpatient clinic within 6 months and previously has been diagnosed with essential HT and followed with medical therapy. Patients were divided into two groups as non-dippers and dippers, using ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Patients' BMI, SBP and DBP, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and ADMA levels were measured.Findings: Age, BMI and lipid values did not differ significantly between groups (p>0,05). Mean ADMA level of dipper group was 1.29±0.13, and that of non-dipper group wass 1.27±0.13µmol/L. ADMA levels did not differ significantly between the non-dipper and dipper groups (p=0.575).Conclusion: ADMA levels was found to be higher in hypertensive patients due to endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction was more frequent in patients who had nondipper blood pressure pattern than patients who had dipper blood pressure pattern. In our study, ADMA levels did not differ significantly between two patterns. additional large-scale studies on this topic are warranted.