Perspectives

White Coat Hypertension: A Benign Finding or a Masked Risk Factor?

Authors: Joseph Abraham Kavian, BA

Abstract

A role of the primary care physician is to identify and manage patient risk factors. An easily identified risk factor is hypertension, especially considering its clear association with the development of various negative health outcomes. Studies have clearly demonstrated the benefits gained by the proper control of hypertension among patients, and they also have shown value in the tight control of systolic pressure.1,2 Nevertheless, the implications of the phenomenon of white coat hypertension have yet to be fully understood, and treatment for it is undefined or somewhat controversial.
Posted in: Hypertension13

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