masked hypertension

The current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology recommend close home monitoring of blood pressure by patients. Why is this? We are reluctant to diagnose a patient with hypertension based on only one or two readings obtained during an office visit. So many factors can immediately influence blood pressure, including sleep, stress, diet, alcohol consumption, and timing of medications. As these factors vary day-to-day, so will the blood pressure. Ultimately, it is important that the average blood pressures are at goal, even if there are some high and low readings. In the office, we might see people with white coat [...]