White-Coat, Masked Hypertension Are Risk Factors

Over 10 years, subjects with either condition have an increased risk of sustained hypertension

01 july 2009-- Patients with white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension may have a long-term risk of developing sustained hypertension, according to a study published online June 29 in Hypertension.

Giuseppe Mancia, M.D., of the Universita Milano-Bicocca in Milan, Italy, and colleagues measured office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and home blood pressure in 1,412 subjects, including 225 (16.1 percent) who had white-coat hypertension and 124 (8.9 percent) who had masked hypertension.

After evaluating the same patients 10 years later, the researchers found that 95 (42.6 percent) of those with white-coat hypertension and 56 (47.1 percent) of those with masked hypertension had developed sustained hypertension. Compared to normal blood pressure, their adjusted analysis showed that white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension were associated with a significantly higher risk of sustained hypertension (odds ratios, 2.51 and 1.78, respectively).

"This indicates that the two above-mentioned conditions cannot be regarded as innocent phenomena but as clinical states that require accurate diagnosis and follow-up," the authors conclude.

Abstract
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