Clinic Blood Pressure Underestimates Ambulatory Blood Pressure in an Untreated Employer-Based US Population: Results From the Masked Hypertension Study
Authors' conclusion
Contrary to a widely held belief, based primarily on cohort studies of patients with elevated CBP, ABP is not usually lower than CBP, at least not among healthy, employed individuals. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of otherwise healthy individuals with nonelevated CBP have masked hypertension.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy, employed, middle-aged US adults (mean age 45) with screening BP <160/105 mm Hg, not taking antihypertensive medication (Masked Hypertension Study, 2005–2012)
- Participants
- 888 participants
- Exposure
- Clinic BP vs mean awake ambulatory BP
- Outcome
- CBP-aABP difference and its relationship to age and BMI
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Systolic/diastolic BP
Systolic/diastolic BP aABP mean 123.0/77.4 (SD 10.3/7.4) mm Hg · CBP mean 116.0/75.4 (SD 11.6/7.7) mm Hg
Hypertensive
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Masked hypertension among those with nonelevated clinic blood pressure (CBP)
- Masked hypertension
- 15.7%
Original publication
Clinic Blood Pressure Underestimates Ambulatory Blood Pressure in an Untreated Employer-Based US Population: Results From the Masked Hypertension Study. Circulation. Published 6 December 2016. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it