White-coat hypertension: a cause for concern?

Named for the white coats doctors traditionally wear, white-coat hypertension means blood pressure that reads high only in a health care setting. The spikes are presumed to be triggered by anxiety and stress. But are they harmless blips - or something worth worrying about?

According to a 2024 review of the evidence, white-coat hypertension is linked to a small but definite increase in heart-related risks. People with the condition are also more prone to develop full-time high blood pressure, defined as a reading of 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher.

Diagnosing it requires checking your blood pressure outside the doctor's office. One option is ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a device automatically measures and records your pressure every 15 to 30 minutes over 24 hours. Another is a home blood pressure monitor, which many cardiologists recommend for all their patients.