Heart Health
Ask the doctor: High blood pressure in the doctor's office, but not at home
Q. I had been checking my blood pressure regularly for several years and it has never been high. But now multiple checks by my doctor have shown that my blood pressure is high. Why could that be?
A. Blood pressure that goes up when a person sees a doctor or nurse is called white-coat syndrome or white-coat hypertension. This condition is not as bad as blood pressure that is high all the time. But it is not as good as having normal blood pressure all the time, including during a doctor's visit.
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