Do I Have White-Coat Hypertension or Hypertension? : What you should do to check your blood pressure

Abstract

Many patients report that they have elevated blood pressures when they go to the doctor’s office, but normal pressures when measured sporadically at places such as a grocery store. This is white-coat hypertension. Because sustained hypertension can have such bad effects on one’s health, differentiating white-coat hypertension from sustained hypertension is very important. This pamphlet is designed to help patients monitor their blood pressure to determine whether their elevated clinic reading is due to white-coat hypertension or hypertension. Patients that have persistently elevated office readings with no end-organ damage should first self-measure their blood pressure for at least 3 days at 12 hr intervals. If elevated, treatment may be initiated, and if normal, ambulatory blood pressure measurements are needed to rule out sustained hypertension.