White-Coat Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk

Objective: To compare cardiovascular risk in white-coat hypertensives, normotensives and established hypertensives. Methods: We studied 61 hypertensive individuals, 27 of whom were white-coat hypertensives, and 35 normotensives. All subjects underwent 24 h noninvasive blood pressure monitoring and Doppler echocardiographic examination of the heart; urine was tested for microalbuminuria and the fundi of the eyes examined for retinopathy. Results: The 24 h as well as the day- and night-time mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was slightly but significantly higher in white-coat hypertensives than in normotensives; no significant difference was observed in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between these groups. In white-coat hypertensives, 24 h SBP and DBP were lower than in established hypertensives (P