Assessment of the White-Coat Effect Among Hypertensive Patients Presumed to Be at Goal

Background: There are limited studies that explore the rate of existent uncontrolled hypertension versus a significant white-coat effect. Likewise, few studies have described the physician's response to the results of an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) study. Objective: To determine the percentage of treated hypertensive patients referred for ABPM based on discrepant office and home blood pressures who had achieved goal blood pressure and to determine the degree of white-coat effect in these patients. Methods: Medical records of 222 consecutive patients were reviewed. Patients without a clinic visit since a medication change and those with