Women exhibited significantly lower systolic and diastolic BP values than men in a referral cohort undergoing 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, irrespective of a prior diagnosis of hypertension.
Women comprised approximately two-thirds of the study population referred for 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
In the general study population, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in women were significantly lower than those in men.
Women had significantly lower blood pressure than men among patients with a prior diagnosis of hypertension.
Women had significantly lower blood pressure than men among patients without a prior diagnosis of hypertension.
The authors conclude that sex-specific diagnostic thresholds and blood pressure targets may be needed for effective management of BP abnormalities in women.
This research suggests that when patients are sent for a special type of blood pressure test called 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring — which tracks blood pressure throughout the day and night — women tend to have meaningfully lower blood pressure readings than men. This pattern was found across the entire group of 1,204 patients studied, and it held true whether or not patients had already been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension). Women made up about two-thirds of the patients in this study, which was conducted by looking back at existing patient records. The finding is notable because it suggests that blood pressure behaves differently in women and men, even among people who have been flagged as potentially having blood pressure problems. This matters because the guidelines doctors currently use to diagnose and treat high blood pressure are largely based on research that historically included more men than women. If women naturally tend to have lower blood pressure, it raises questions about whether the same diagnostic cutoffs and treatment targets are equally appropriate for both sexes. This research suggests that more investigation is needed into why these sex-based differences in blood pressure exist and what they mean for clinical care. The authors specifically call for studies to determine whether women and men should have different blood pressure targets to ensure that high blood pressure in women is neither over-treated nor under-treated. This could have important implications for how clinicians interpret blood pressure readings and make treatment decisions for their patients.
Atmaca H, Gürbüz D, Erol M, Yetkin E. (2026). Sex differences in ambulatory blood pressure among patients referred for 24-hour monitoring: A retrospective cross-sectional study.. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000050417