White coat syndrome

Are You Anxious About The Vaccine Or The White Coat?

The landscape of the ‘doctor’s office’ may have changed, but the presence of the white coat in many cases, has not. Whether individuals are receiving their vaccines at drive-through vaccine clinics, sports stadiums or athletic centers, the simple association of a medical professional with anxiety is still a threat for many.

Hidden high blood pressure: how to avoid ‘white coat syndrome’

The presence of a medical professional can cause blood pressure to skyrocket – or hypertension to go undetected. New research hopes to increase accuracy and improve heart health.

The Secrets to Solving White Coat Syndrome and Doctor Anxiety

Do you get anxious going to the doctor? Are you terrified they’re going to find something wrong? Does your blood pressure go up when there’s a white coat present? Do you avoid going to the doctor at all costs? Have you ever heard of Sanctuary Trauma? Do you have white coat syndrome?

Ask Well: White-Coat Hypertension

In the past, white-coat hypertension was often dismissed as not very serious. But now research suggests that as many as half of all people who exhibit the phenomenon eventually develop the real thing.

Decoding white coat hypertension

There is arguably no less understood or more intriguing problem in hypertension that the “white coat” condition, the standard concept of which is significantly blood pressure reading obtained by medical personnel of authoritative standing than that obtained by more junior and less authoritative personnel and by the patients themselves.

Masked hypertension is a silent killer – we must do more to detect it

Some people with normal blood pressure have elevated blood pressure when their doctor takes the reading. This phenomenon is known as “white coat hypertension”. But there’s an opposite phenomenon, known as “masked hypertension”, where a person’s blood pressure is normal in a clinical setting, but high the rest of the time.

Patients whose blood pressure only spikes at the doctor’s office are twice as likely to die of a heart attack or other cardiac event

For decades, doctors have been aware of a phenomenon known as “white coat hypertension” — when a patient gets higher blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office than they do at home, perhaps because they’re anxious in the clinic — but previous studies have shown inconsistencies in its effects.

People with Untreated “White Coat Hypertension” Twice as Likely to Die from Heart Disease

White coat hypertension, a condition in which a patient’s blood pressure readings are higher when taken at the doctor’s office compared to other settings, was originally attributed to the anxiety patients might experience during medical appointments. However, over the years, research has suggested the elevated readings might be a sign of underlying risk for future health problems.

The Claim: ‘White-Coat Hypertension’ Is Nothing to Worry About

“White-coat hypertension” may be more than a false positive: it may help identify people at serious risk for the real thing. In studies, researchers have found that patients whose blood pressure rises to abnormal levels in a clinical setting are far more likely to develop hypertension than those with normal readings at home and at the clinic.

The Risk of Having High Blood Pressure Just at the Doctor’s Office

People who suffer from white-coat hypertension—the term for blood pressure that only goes up at the doctor’s office—may be at increased risk of health problems associated with true hypertension, according to a meta-analysis in the April issue of Blood Pressure Monitoring.

What is white coat hypertension? How do you overcome it?

If you’re nervous when you get to the doctor’s office, you might experience this effect. These strategies can help.

White coat hypertension presents an elusive challenge

Although white coat hypertension is chalked up to general anxiety, it may be the medical setting, and specifically the physician, that acts as the trigger.

White coat hypertension: do you have it and how to manage it

While white coat hypertension may not cause immediate danger, some doctors believe that white coat hypertension might indicate a risk of developing high blood pressure as a long-term condition. It is also dangerous in a way that this temporarily increase in your blood pressure is likely to be misdiagnosed as ongoing hypertension, leading to unnecessary and unwanted overmedication. This is why frequent blood pressure monitoring at home is important as it can easily alert your medical health care provider about the possible presence of white coat syndrome.

White coat syndrome and its variations: differences and clinical impact

Clinical trials reveal that we cannot underestimate the effects caused by the presence of “white coat” professionals, since they may be involved in increased CV risks and in the development of cardiac and vascular lesions.

White coat syndrome! Is your doctor causing your high blood pressure?

Research suggests that a quarter of patients are misdiagnosed with hypertension because of relying solely on blood pressure readings at a clinic. And a quarter of people with hypertension are missed!

White Coat Syndrome: Empowering Patients

This syndrome was discovered in 1896 by physician Scipione Riva-Rocci when he noticed that some patients experienced an increased blood pressure when visiting his office. Extensive research began in 1983 to study the notion that patients experience increased blood pressure and heart rate when seeing the doctor, but white coat syndrome is something that is still being researched. In recent studies, the syndrome appears to be a precursor to high blood pressure.

White Coat Syndrome: How To Manage Increased Heart Rate At The Doctor's

With white coat syndrome, the goal is to address the underlying reasons your blood pressure is rising. That way, over time, your doctor will be able to get a more accurate assessment of your "true" blood pressure during office visits.

Why Your Doctor’s White Coat Can Be a Threat to Your Health

A defining symbol of a profession may also be teeming with harmful bacteria and not washed as often as patients might hope.

A White Coat Syndrome Story

Your name is called. You are ushered into an exam room and seated on the edge of the exam table. Nurse Megan comes in, gets your weight and measures you pulse/oxygen level. Your weight is unchanged and your pulse/ox is better than 98%. She puts a blood pressure cuff on your preferred arm and records a level of 150/95. She tells you the doctor will be with you soon, walks out and closes the exam room door. How are you feeling now? Are you calm and relaxed or maybe a bit anxious and stressed?

Could white-coat hypertension harm your heart?

For most people, going to the doctor is usually a bit nerve-racking. But for some, the stress of a medical appointment triggers a temporary rise in blood pressure. If that’s the case for you — and if your blood pressure is normal at home and in other nonmedical settings — you may have what’s known as white-coat hypertension.