"White coat"

One Third of Resistant Hypertension is Actually "White Coat"
Some people have high blood pressure readings only when they are in a doctor's office. This is called "white coat" hypertension. It is very common. Most people think being nervous causes white coat hypertension.
Findings from a new study show that more than one third of 8,295 patients being treated for resistant hypertension actually had white coat hypertension. (Resistant hypertension means that a person has high blood pressure readings in the doctor's office despite being on three blood pressure medications.) The study first appeared online March 28. It will be published in the May issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers had people check their blood pressure at home every 20 minutes for 24 hours. This is called "ambulatory blood pressure monitoring." Thirty-seven percent had normal readings.
Doctors disagree about whether white coat hypertension should be treated with medicines. Studies don't always show that treatment for white coat hypertension improves health. People with white coat hypertension have a lower risk for heart disease and kidney damage from high blood pressure compared with people who have true resistant hypertension. It may be worthwhile to use ambulatory blood pressure monitoring more often to better advise patients about their heart risk.

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