What is White coat hypertension?

The blood pressure in any individual is not constant and varies from time to time based on several factors.  The situation decides the value of blood pressure in a person. If a person is excited, the blood pressure may go above the normal values. But this may be only temporary and the system would regain back its original values. In some of the patients where the blood pressure measurements are conducted in a clinic of a doctor’s office, the values of the blood pressure observed may actually not characterize the correct values of the blood pressure in the person. These can be recorded higher than the original values in these patients. This kind of measurement involves an error known as the white coat hypertension or WCH. In general a white coat hypertension error results due to anxiety or any other kind of excitation felt by the patient during the examination phase. It should be noted that this error cannot be eliminated completely from the system as this is associated with the mental condition of the patient. It can only be minimized by carrying on observations once every 15 to 20 minutes in a quiet zone in the office. The results derived from the readings may not be accurate in certain patients who have a highly reactive mentality.