What should we know about white coat hypertension

Abstract

White coat hypertension (WCH) is fairly common and may be seen in upto 20–40% of hypertensive patients, and is increasingly common in aging populations. Despite being known for over a hundred years, awareness about the adverse effects of WCH is limited and there is still ongoing debate about the long term prognosis and appropriate management of WCH. The term is used for individuals who have BP readings that are consistently higher than normal only in the clinical setting, while the readings recorded outside, either by ambulatory monitoring or self measurement at home, are normal. Recognition of WCH is especially important to avoid over-diagnosis of hypertension or resistant hypertension as well as injudicious treatment escalation based on isolated office BP readings. The following review shall attempt to focus on these issues related to white coat hypertension.