Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship of peripheral and central, systolic and diastolic blood pressure with left ventricular mass, both measured in the office and under ambulatory conditions.

Methods: Cross-sectional study that included 71 never treated hypertensives (37 men, 52,1 %). 24 hours ambulatory peripheral and central (Mobil-O-Graph^®) as well as office peripheral (OMRON^®) and central blood pressure (Sphygmocor^®) together with determination of left ventricular mass (LVM) by echocardiography were performed in all patients and adjusted for height^2.7 (LVMI_2.7) and body surface area (LVMI_BSA).

Results: The mean age was 45.8±12 years with office peripheral BP of 140/90 (SD±15/10), office central BP of 130/91 (SD±16/13), ambulatory peripheral BP of 128/84 (SD±13/12) and ambulatory central BP of 120/85 (SD±15/10) mmHg. The mean LVMI_2.7 and LVMI_BSA was 49.3 g/m^2.7 and 104.2 g/m², respectively. In bivariate analysis systolic ambulatory central BP showed the greatest correlation (r=608;p<0.0001) with LVM_2.7, followed by systolic ambulatory peripheral BP (SBPper_24, r=508;p<0.0001). In multiple regression analysis, adjusting by age and gender, all systolic BP measurements were independently related to LVMI, but central, ambulatory SBP showed the closest association with LVMI, independently of adjustment for height^2.7 or BSA.

Conclusions: In our population of untreated middle aged hypertensives, systolic BP was more closely related to LVMI than DBP, peripheral BP showed a greater association than office BP, and central BP had a greater relationship to LWMI than peripheral BP. Variation of central systolic 24 hours blood pressure caused therefore the greatest variation of LVMI.