White-Coat Hypertension Increases Long-Term Risk

MILAN, Italy—Patients with white-coat hypertension (WCHT) and masked hypertension (MHT) may have a long-term risk of developing sustained hypertension, according to a study published online June 29 in Hypertension.

Researchers at the Universita Milano-Bicocca 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, researchers found 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.