White Coat Syndrome

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

So I very definitely have white coat syndrome and my BP was pretty high the last time I went in: around 137 / 80 .

After that, at home I measured my BP for 10 days in a row morning and night and the numbers were well within normal: SYS AVG 114 (min 101/ max 122), DIA AVG 71 (min 62, max 77). My doc did not recommend medication - and I’m not sure I’d want those numbers to be lower - but I have read a bit about the risks of white coat syndrome and I’ve heard you talk about it. Any thoughts on this?

As an aside, the one time I had good BP readings at the doctors office, I went in with a print out of my last 10 days of blood pressure readings which were all within the normal range. So basically I was no longer facing a “high stakes test” - I had clear evidence of what my blood pressure is. So I think I’ll start doing that from now on…

2

Hi,

Yes, it sounds like you may fall in that category, although I would not characterize 137/80 as “pretty high”. I would not initiate blood pressure-reducing medication in this situation based on the information you’ve provided. To the extent you may be at slightly higher risk, the majority of recommendations for you would be the same: namely, the things laid out in our blood pressure article series ( Blood Pressure - Causes, Prevention & Treatment ).

1 Like
3

Thank you - yes that is a great article and I also enjoyed you podcasts on this topic. Great work you guys are doing. Thank you!