[Blood pressure variability : useful, trivial or potentially dangerous ?]

Abstract

Usually, blood pressure variability is an adaptive physiological process allowing optimal perfusion of internal organs every time and in every clinical situation. This variability may nevertheless be excessive and then be associated with a poor cardiovascular and renal but also neurological prognosis. An excess in blood pressure variability may also be responsible for unpleasant symptoms in some patients. The different types of blood pressure variability, their causes and consequences as well as the mean to improve its control will be discussed in this article.