[Arterial hypertension in Cushing's disease: the 24-hour pressure profile without and during treatment with beta-blockers or cyproheptadine].

Studying a patient with Cushing's disease by 24-hour indirect blood pressure monitoring, we confirmed that the normal nocturnal fall in blood pressure was absent, although the usual decrease in heart rate persisted. Thereafter we found a hypervariability in blood pressure and heart rate, which was reversed by treatment with betablockers and/or cyproheptadine. The therapy restored also the normal nocturnal fall in blood pressure. The low-dose cyproheptadine therapy normalized urinary free cortisol levels and restored a 24-hour blood pressure profile better than the low-dose beta-blocker therapy.