According to doctors, the normal and healthy blood pressure ranges from 90/60 mm Hg to 120/80 mm Hg. A blood pressure reading that ranges from 130/80 mm Hg to 139/89 mm Hg is referred to as stage 1 hypertension, and a blood pressure reading that reads 140/90 or higher is referred to as stage 2 hypertension.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a very serious matter because it is considered as one of the many risk factors for deadly heart disease.
It’s important to note that the blood pressure tends to fluctuate all the time, depending on what the person is doing as well as what’s happening around him or her. A blood pressure reading that’s only elevated when the individual is stressed, anxious or tired is not regarded as hypertension — hypertension is a blood pressure reading that’s constantly more than 120/80 mm Hg.
This article will talk about what’s known as white coat hypertension. Below you will encounter some of the most important things you need to know about it — from what it is to how it can be managed effectively. Make sure that you share this article on all of your social media sites later on to get your family members and friends also acquainted with it.
White coat hypertension is also sometimes referred to as white coat syndrome or white coat effect. No matter the preferred name, it’s obvious that it has something to do with the white coats that doctors wear traditionally. White coat hypertension is hypertension that takes place when the blood pressure is taken by a doctor. But when it is taken by someone else, the blood pressure is within the normal range.
However, just because a high blood pressure reading is not taken by a doctor who’s not wearing a white coat doesn’t mean it’s no longer considered as white coat hypertension — it is still regarded as such if the high blood pressure reading is obtained by someone who is a part of the medical community or at a medical facility.
So if white coat hypertension is an elevated blood pressure that only happens when the blood pressure is taken by a health care provider or in a medical environment, then it should not a problem, right? Well, there’s actually a problem, and that it can make it challenging for a medical professional to determine whether or not a person is actually suffering from hypertension or simply white coat hypertension.
Dismissing a high blood pressure reading as just white coat hypertension can be risky. What if the individual is actually suffering from the real deal? What if much-needed early intervention is not given when it should have been?
Someone who is suffering from white coat hypertension may try relaxing for a few minutes before his or her blood pressure is taken. He or she could try taking slow and deep breaths, which is something that can help calm the mind and body and thus lower the blood pressure. In some instances, his or her blood pressure may be taken in a quiet room, away from all the hustle and bustle of the emergency room.
Taking one’s blood pressure at home can be done, too — if it’s lower than what’s obtained by a doctor or at a medical facility, chances are that the individual has white coat hypertension. Sometimes a doctor may recommend 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to give him or her idea on the actual blood pressure of the patient. Also known as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring or ABPM, it entails reading the blood pressure every 30 minutes for an entire day by means of a portable medical device that the person has to wear at home or elsewhere.
