PLoS ONE (Jan 2014)
Epidemiology of masked and white-coat hypertension: the family-based SKIPOGH study.
Abstract
ObjectiveWe investigated factors associated with masked and white-coat hypertension in a Swiss population-based sample.MethodsThe Swiss Kidney Project on Genes in Hypertension is a family-based cross-sectional study. Office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure were measured using validated devices. Masked hypertension was defined as office blood pressureResultsAmong the 652 participants included in this analysis, 51% were female. Mean age (±SD) was 48 (±18) years. The proportion of participants with masked and white coat hypertension was respectively 15.8% and 2.6%. Masked hypertension was associated with age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, p = 0.012), high-normal office blood pressure (OR = 6.68, pConclusionsOur findings suggest that physicians should consider ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for older individuals with high-normal office blood pressure and/or who are obese.