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Review
. 2015 Nov;17(11):86.
doi: 10.1007/s11906-015-0599-0.

The Utility of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for Diagnosing White Coat Hypertension in Older Adults

Kristi Reynolds  1 , C Barrett Bowling  2   3 , John J Sim  4 , Lakshmi Sridharan  5 , Teresa N Harrison  6 , Daichi Shimbo  7
Affiliations
Review

The Utility of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for Diagnosing White Coat Hypertension in Older Adults

Kristi Reynolds et al. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

The beneficial effect of antihypertensive medication on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events is supported by data from randomized controlled trials of older adults with hypertension. However, in clinical practice, overtreatment of hypertension in older adults may lead to side effects and an increased risk of falls. The diagnosis and treatment of hypertension is primarily based on blood pressure measurements obtained in the clinic setting. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) complements clinic blood pressure by measuring blood pressure in the out-of-clinic setting. ABPM can be used to identify white coat hypertension, defined as elevated clinic blood pressure and non-elevated ambulatory blood pressure. White coat hypertension is common in older adults but does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of CVD events among this population. Herein, we review the current literature on ABPM in the diagnoses of white coat hypertension in older adults, including its potential role in preventing overtreatment.

Keywords: Aged; Ambulatory blood pressure; Elderly; Hypertension; White coat hypertension.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Blood pressure data from a treated individual who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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