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Masked hypertension in adults

Daniele Longo1, Francesca Dorigatti, Paolo Palatini

  • 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

Blood Pressure Monitoring
|February 24, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Masked hypertension, often missed in clinics, predicts cardiovascular disease. Identifying patients with factors like smoking or obesity is key to preventing serious health events.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hypertension Research
  • Preventive Medicine

Background:

  • Masked hypertension is a significant, yet often undetected, predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Existing evidence links masked hypertension to adverse cardiovascular markers like increased left ventricular mass index and carotid intima-media thickness.
  • Longitudinal studies confirm masked hypertension as a strong predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evidence on masked hypertension as a predictor of cardiovascular disease.
  • To discuss factors associated with masked hypertension and strategies for patient identification.
  • To highlight the clinical implications for managing patients at risk.

Main Methods:

  • Review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on masked hypertension.
  • Analysis of factors associated with increased ambulatory blood pressure.
  • Identification of patient profiles at higher risk for masked hypertension.

Main Results:

  • Masked hypertension is associated with increased left ventricular mass index, carotid intima-media thickness, and impaired large artery distensibility.
  • Factors such as younger age, smoking, alcohol use, contraceptive use, sedentary habits, and central obesity increase the likelihood of masked hypertension.
  • Individuals with high-normal clinic blood pressure or transiently elevated blood pressure are more prone to masked hypertension.

Conclusions:

  • Masked hypertension is a critical risk factor for cardiovascular events that requires proactive identification.
  • Clinical suspicion should be raised in individuals with specific risk factors and those with existing cardiovascular conditions or high cardiovascular risk profiles.
  • Further research is needed to establish the cost-effectiveness of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for screening in at-risk populations.

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