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Cardiac damage in hypertensive patients with inverse white coat hypertension. Hospitalet study

Raquel Hernández del-Rey1, Pedro Armario, Montserrat Martín-Baranera

  • 1Unit of Hypertension and Vascular Risk, Department of Internal Medicine, Consorci Sanitari de la Creu Roja a Catalunya, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. Raquel.Hernandez@chcr.scs.es

Blood Pressure
|June 12, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Inverse white coat hypertension (IWCH) is linked to greater left ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension. This finding highlights the importance of monitoring blood pressure outside the clinic to assess cardiac damage risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hypertension Research
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Limited research exists on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and cardiac damage in essential hypertensive patients with inverse white coat hypertension (IWCH).
  • Understanding IWCH is crucial for accurate hypertension management and risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of IWCH in untreated grade 1-2 hypertension.
  • To compare cardiac damage in patients with IWCH, white coat hypertension (WCH), and other hypertensive patients.

Main Methods:

  • 211 patients with grade 1-2 hypertension were enrolled; 204 underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring.
  • IWCH defined as daytime BP exceeding office BP; WCH defined as daytime BP < 135/85 mmHg.
  • Echocardiograms were used to assess left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), defined as LVMI > or = 125 g/m2.

Main Results:

  • IWCH was identified in 14% (29 patients) and WCH in 33% (68 patients).
  • IWCH patients exhibited higher 24-h, daytime, and nighttime BP compared to other groups.
  • Left ventricular mass was significantly greater in IWCH patients, even after adjusting for confounding factors.

Conclusions:

  • Inverse white coat hypertension is independently associated with increased left ventricular mass in grade 1-2 hypertension.
  • These findings underscore the clinical significance of IWCH in predicting cardiac damage.
Abstract

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