Conventional systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, 24 hour averages of blood pressure, and heart frequency before (initial ABPM) and after treatment with leflunomide (final ABPM) in 17 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Twenty four hour, day time (6 00 am to 10 00 pm), and night time (10 00 pm to 6 00 am) mean values and standard deviations are shown. Statistical significance of differences was tested with Student's t test. p Values of ≤0.05 were considered significant
| Initial measurement | Final measurement | t Test | Significance (p) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional measurements (mean) | ||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 127.3 (20.2) | 140.7 (20.1) | 3.55 | 0.003 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 76.7 (9.3) | 84.0 (8.6) | 3.08 | 0.007 |
| ABPM (mean) | ||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 127.8 (19.7) | 132.1 (21.4) | 3.01 | 0.003 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 74.9 (12.4) | 79.7 (13.0) | 5.43 | 0.000 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) | 93.6 (14.8) | 98.7 (15.8) | 4.76 | 0.000 |
| Pulse pressure (mm Hg) | 52.9 (14.0) | 52.4 (15.5) | 0.46 | NS |
| Heart frequency (min−1) | 77.6 (13.7) | 80.2 (13.5) | 2.71 | 0.007 |
| Day time (6 00 am to 10 00 pm) | ||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 130.2 (18.2) | 135.2 (19.6) | 5.18 | 0.000 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 77.8 (11.4) | 83.1 (11.7) | 9.04 | 0.000 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) | 96.1 (13.4) | 83.1 (11.7) | 7.86 | 0.000 |
| Pulse pressure (mm Hg) | 52.5 (14.2) | 52.1 (15.4) | 0.44 | NS |
| Heart frequency (min−1) | 81.8 (13.7) | 83.7 (13.3) | 2.83 | 0.005 |
| Night time (10 00 pm to 6 00 am) | ||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 121.9 (20.6) | 124.1 (20.6) | 1.20 | NS |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 69.1 (12.2) | 72.3 (11.8) | 3.07 | 0.002 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) | 87.8 (15.5) | 91.5 (14.6) | 2.77 | 0.006 |
| Pulse pressure (mm Hg) | 52.8 (13.3) | 51.7 (15.0) | 0.86 | NS |
| Heart frequency (min−1) | 68.7 (9.2) | 72.9 (10.9) | 4.78 | 0.000 |