'White coat syndrome' link to high blood pressure

THOUSANDS of patients believed to have hard-to-treat high blood pressure may actually be suffering the effects of doctor-induced nerves, a study has found.

So-called "white coat syndrome" can result in blood pressure going up when people visit a doctor's surgery. The new findings suggest the phenomenon may affect a third of patients who appear not to be responding to drugs for hypertension.

Researchers monitored the blood pressure of almost 70,000 patients with diagnosed hypertension as they went about their daily lives. Thirty-seven per cent of about 8,000 patients previously found to be resistant to treatment turned out to have "white coat syndrome". Their blood pressure rose when they visited the doctor, giving the misleading impression their treatment was not working.

Researchers from the University of Barcelona asked patients to wear a portable device that takes blood pressure readings every 20 minutes, day and night..

The results showed more women than men - 42 per cent compared with 34 per cent - had "white coat syndrome". Those with "true" resistant hypertension included higher numbers of smokers and diabetics.