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Review
. 2006 May 15;22(7):617-20.
doi: 10.1016/s0828-282x(06)70285-9.

Masked hypertension: a common but insidious presentation of hypertension

D W McKay  1 , Martin G Myers, Peter Bolli, Arun Chockalingam
Affiliations
Review

Masked hypertension: a common but insidious presentation of hypertension

D W McKay et al. Can J Cardiol. .

Abstract
in English, French

A patient has masked hypertension when his office blood pressure is less than 140/90 mmHg but his ambulatory or home blood pressure readings are in the hypertensive range. Several recent studies have demonstrated that cardiovascular risk is similar between those with masked hypertension and those with sustained hypertension. The prevalence of masked hypertension in Canada is not known, but data from other countries suggest rates greater than 8%. Physicians need to use careful clinical judgment to identify and treat subjects with masked hypertension. The present review discusses masked hypertension, its importance to clinical practice and some aspects of patient management.

Un patient souffre d’hypertension masquée lorsque sa tension artérielle en cabinet est inférieure à 140/90 mmHg mais que ses lectures de tension artérielle ambulatoires ou à domicile figurent dans la plage de l’hypertension. Plusieurs études récentes démontrent que le risque cardiovasculaire est semblable chez les personnes qui souffrent d’hypertension masquée et celles qui souffrent d’hypertension soutenue. On ne connaît pas la prévalence d’hypertension masquée au Canada, mais les données d’autres pays laissent supposer des taux supérieurs à 8 %. Les médecins doivent faire preuve d’un jugement clinique rigoureux pour repérer et traiter les sujets atteints d’hypertension masquée. La présente analyse traite de l’hypertension masquée, de son importance en pratique clinique et de certains aspects de la prise en charge des patients.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cardiovascular morbidity event rates per 100 person-years in normotensive (NT), masked hypertensive (HT) and sustained HT subjects. Adapted from reference
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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