White coat hypertension what. Office hypertension (white coat hypertension)

03.06.2017

When blood pressure is taken in a doctor's office, some patients experience signs of hypertension (high blood pressure). In a calm environment and at home, these symptoms disappear.

This pathology is called white coat syndrome (WCS). This can lead to misdiagnosis and the prescription of unnecessary treatments and medications to completely healthy people. Is it necessary and how to treat such a disease? To determine the diagnosis, the patient is instructed to independently monitor blood pressure readings at home.

When measuring blood pressure in the morning, during the day and before bedtime, a person records the readings in a journal (BP control diary). It happens that these data convince the doctor that the patient’s blood pressure is normal and he has signs of white coat hypertension.

This means that the person is not hypertensive, and pressure surges are explained by the body’s reaction to stress.

Manifestations of SBH

Everyone experiences unpleasant emotions and anxiety when visiting doctors, but not everyone’s blood pressure jumps just at the sight of doctors and when simply measuring blood pressure. There is a category of patients who cannot cope with anxiety, and their body reacts with a sharp jump in pressure. Up to 15% of patients are susceptible to this syndrome. In the doctor's office, a person experiences increased anxiety about his health and anxiety about test results. In such people, the psyche is unstable and under stress and emotional arousal, pressure increases due to disruption of the process of regulation of vascular tone.

Sometimes the white coat effect manifests itself as a conditioned reflex of the body and appears not only during repeated visits to the doctor, but in any unusual situation. A person reacts with excessive anxiety, increased pressure, when he finds himself in a new team, entering the manager’s office, contacting a specific unpleasant person or strangers, when receiving happy or sad news.

The disease also has a second name – “office sickness”. arterial hypertension isolated type." Upon careful examination, various pathologies are revealed in such individuals: high cholesterol, Start diabetes mellitus, cardiac ischemia. The appearance of this syndrome in young people or adolescents increases the risk of true hypertension. This pathology is also dangerous for weakened elderly patients, people with heart and vascular diseases, postoperative patients and pregnant women.

When carrying a child, women experience physical and emotional stress. They have to visit the doctor frequently and undergo various examinations. SBH is unpleasant and dangerous for mother and fetus. Pregnant women prone to SBH need consultation and supervision of a psychologist.

This disease is not so harmless and cannot be ignored; in 75% of patients (up to 45 years of age), the phenomenon of white coat hypertension develops into true hypertension. Sudden surges in pressure can lead to overstretching of the left ventricle, the development of kidney pathologies, diabetes mellitus and, in case of severe psycho-emotional stress, a sudden stroke.

If white coat syndrome occurs very rarely, then you should not worry, you should monitor whether the process is progressing. But if the body’s frequent response to stress and anxiety is a surge in pressure, examination and treatment are necessary.

White coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure - how to deal with it

First, you need to conduct 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to determine the number and frequency of pressure surges.

During the day, a special device automatically records pressure readings in a familiar environment.

The risk of hypertension increases if a person lives in a conflicting psychological environment, is committed to bad habits, physical inactivity (a sedentary lifestyle).

Survey

To determine pathological changes in target organs from pressure surges and identify concomitant diseases, it is necessary to undergo laboratory tests and undergo instrumental examination:

biochemical blood test (cholesterol, lipid profile);
blood for sugar;
general urine analysis;
Ultrasound of the kidneys;
Ultrasound of the heart;
ECG;
duplex of vessels.

Be examined by a cardiologist and, if necessary, other specialists.

Treatment

How to get rid of"white coat" syndrome. Initially, individual work with a psychologist and auto-training can help. We recommend that overly emotional and very suspicious people undergo training from an experienced psychologist on endurance and stress resistance. Use recipes and methods traditional medicine to strengthen nervous system.

You may need to take sedatives and antidepressants if other methods have been exhausted and do not help. As the disease progresses, the necessary medications are prescribed with the development of an individual dosage schedule and doses under the constant supervision of a doctor.

Treatment of detected concomitant diseases (atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity) is necessary. The doctor selects non-drug and medicinal methods fight them.

Non-drug methods:

weight control and weight loss;
prescription of diets;
giving up bad habits (smoking, alcohol);

Medication methods:

soothing,
psychotropic,
antihypertensive drugs;
antidepressants.

If abnormalities in target organs are detected, then most often the patient is diagnosed with “classical” hypertension. Then serious treatment of hypertension will be needed to reduce and stabilize the pressure. The pills will have to be taken constantly according to a regimen developed for a particular patient, as doctors say, for the rest of one’s life.

The peculiarity of antihypertensive drugs is that they accumulate in the body and affect blood pressure for a long time, maintaining it at normal levels. Over time (in case of addiction), the doctor selects other drugs.

To improve the patient's condition in complex therapy, it is recommended to use traditional methods of combating hypertension.

Prevention

IN modern world everything changes quickly: the pace of life, nutrition, climate, additional factors appear that affect blood pressure. In accordance with these changes, pressure indicators are updated. Today the norm is considered to be the level< 140/90 мм рт.ст.

If the numbers are higher, then medical consultation and observation are required. Hypertension progresses in the presence of risk factors: coronary heart disease, excess weight, high cholesterol, diabetes, age and bad habits.

Stable high blood pressure(above the specified limit) indicates hypertension and requires treatment. If pressure surges are rare and occur under certain circumstances (excitement, stress, visiting a doctor), then this is SBS and also requires correction. There are proposals from doctors to treat SBC with hypnosis.

The severity of the negative consequences of the “white coat” syndrome depends on the state of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, the condition of the kidneys, the central nervous system and genetic predisposition.

Getting rid of white coat hypertension involves, first of all, normalizing your lifestyle.

stop smoking;
avoid excessive alcohol consumption;
establish a rational, balanced diet (limiting salt, fatty, smoked foods);
fight excess weight (diet);
“escape” from physical inactivity: physical activity ( physical exercise, walks, sports, swimming pool, active recreation);
train self-control, emotional stability in stressful situations, increase self-confidence;
use traditional medicine (decoctions medicinal herbs, infusions) to strengthen the nervous system;
take sedatives prescribed by your doctor.

These measures (standard for all diseases of the cardiovascular system) will prevent the disease from progressing and will help the vessels to always be in good shape. Consult a doctor you trust on how to get rid of this pathology.

Very often, people who, for one reason or another, are forced to visit a medical facility, ask specialists why blood pressure increases during a doctor’s appointment, is it dangerous, how to deal with this phenomenon, and does it need to be treated? As you know, an appointment with a doctor is usually associated with not entirely positive emotions, so most patients are very often worried and worried, which leads to an unexpected increase in blood levels.

Let’s take a closer look at whether this condition is dangerous, whether it is necessary to get rid of it, and what complications the fear of a doctor’s coat can lead to.

So, white coat hypertension is nothing more than a specific manifestation of the body’s forced need to visit a doctor’s office or have blood pressure measured. In other words, this condition has a psychological basis and refers to the situational (secondary) type of hypertension. A similar anomaly is observed in 15%, and according to other data, in 40% of the population of the entire globe.

Despite the fact that SBH has official medical recognition, many cardiologists do not consider it a real disease, because surges in blood pressure and increased heart rate occur only while in the doctor’s office. Outside the boundaries of a medical facility, when the patient returns home, blood pressure returns to normal parameters. It follows from this that the rise in blood pressure during the fear of doctors syndrome is temporary, so the person does not have real hypertension.

However, medicine also knows cases of the opposite situation, which doctors call outpatient masked headache. She is in a normal state blood pressure directly at the doctor’s appointment, but at home it increases.

What reasons lead to the occurrence of SBH?

Experts believe that the main reason for the development of the syndrome is excessive anxiety of a person about his health, who had to visit a doctor’s office for one reason or another. At a subconscious level, the patient develops an insurmountable fear of people in white coats; as a result, he begins to get nervous, which provokes an increase in blood pressure.

It should be emphasized that emotional stress due to worry about one’s body can arise involuntarily at a subconscious level, so a person may not be aware of such a state.

The second reason for the presence of high blood pressure is the so-called adaptation phenomenon. The body “remembers” such reflexes, and during a subsequent visit to the doctor, psychosomatic manifestations are repeated, regardless of the fact that the patient’s attitude towards a stressful situation may be completely different. The person will react to the robe in exactly the same way as the previous time.

The third provoking factor of the syndrome is the patient’s increased suspiciousness and suspiciousness. Such a patient looks for understatement and catch in every word the doctor says. Trying to find a hidden meaning, he begins to overthink himself prematurely and establish a thousand non-existent terrible diagnoses for himself. As a result, an increase in blood pressure occurs.

Among other causes of SBH, doctors name:

Feeling shy when naked.
Fear of painful procedures.
Fear of hearing a bad diagnosis.

As you can see, all the reasons are related to the psychological state of a person.

Fear of the doctor's coat is most often observed in people who have the following diseases or conditions:

Diabetes.
Cardiac ischemia.
Obesity.
Increased cholesterol levels.
Poor health.
Heart operations.
Psychical deviations.
Excessive impressionability.
Weak psychological state.
Wrong lifestyle.
Long-term smoking habit.
Alcohol and drug addiction.

In addition to pathologies, age contributes to the development of the syndrome; the older a person is, the more active and severe this process manifests itself. Gender also influences its appearance. Doctors note that white coat hypertension is diagnosed in women 2 times more often than in men.

In addition to the above factors, heredity also plays an important role.

White coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure is often observed in pregnant women, especially those who have had difficulties conceiving or bearing in the past. The occurrence of the syndrome of fear of medical specialists in most situations is explained by the ongoing hormonal changes in the body of the expectant mother, so she often experiences strong fear for herself and the baby, which leads to a jump in blood pressure. However, after the birth of the baby and stabilization of hormonal balance, SBH disappears.

During pregnancy, if the syndrome occurs, it is not necessary to be observed by a psychologist - it is enough to simply notify the doctor about the unpleasant manifestation.

How dangerous is high blood pressure due to doctor's coat syndrome? Doctors say that in stressful situations, blood levels rise in almost all people. For example, an unpleasant conversation with your superiors, sad news, a strong experience, etc. can lead to a jump. If such phenomena are episodic in nature, then they do not pose a clear threat to health.

A completely different situation is when blood pressure jumps in any negative situations. This can lead to the following complications:

Increasing the level of “bad” cholesterol.
Periodic increase in sugar levels with a tendency to diabetes.
The appearance of true hypertension.
In complicated cases, the situation is dangerous for a heart attack.
Sudden and frequent changes in blood pressure negatively affect the development of the fetus in pregnant women.

According to the latest research results, it has been established that in 75% of people, a regular rise in blood pressure due to psycho-emotional stress develops into real hypertension with all the ensuing pathological consequences, that is, the frequent occurrence of BCS can become a pre-hypertensive phase in the development of real hypertension.

According to Japanese doctors, in half of the observed volunteers, white coat syndrome increases the risk of stroke. The likelihood of such a severe complication increases with a history of other serious diseases.

In addition, the uncontrolled use of antihypertensive drugs in the syndrome, when the patient independently tries to normalize blood pressure without the doctor’s permission, can cause the development of severe complications, such as a sharp decrease in blood pressure and loss of consciousness.

Hypertension due to SBH differs from true hypertension only by a jump in systolic (upper) pressure. With true hypertension, there is an increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, when fear of the doctor arises, the upper level indicator rises above 150-160 mmHg. Art., but the lower pressure remains within the normal range. As soon as the patient leaves the doctor's office and returns home, the blood pressure returns to its normal parameters.

In addition to the peculiarities of a jump in blood pressure, the occurrence of fear is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Tremor of arms and legs.
Pallor of the skin.
Increased pressure.
Increased heart rate.

In most cases, a person looks calm outwardly, and only a rapid pulse reveals his psychological stress.

Therefore, it is so important to warn the doctor about the tendency to such a pathological condition. Otherwise, the specialist, having measured blood pressure, will prescribe treatment for a non-existent disease, which will also negatively affect the patient’s health.

In addition to the above clinical manifestations, SBS can make it significantly more difficult for a specialist to examine a patient, making it difficult to establish a correct diagnosis.

Incorrectly prescribed treatment has a dangerous negative impact on such important organs of the body: gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, liver. To avoid such a situation, patients whose blood pressure rises are prescribed a thorough examination by the doctor.

Daily monitoring of arterial status before a medical appointment and upon returning home will help detect white coat syndrome.

Regular monitoring of blood pressure can be carried out both in inpatient and outpatient settings. For this purpose, a tonometer is used, and pressure is measured at strictly specified hours, then the obtained measurement results can be analyzed. This approach makes it possible to accurately find out whether the patient has chronic hypertension or whether the culprit of the jump is SBH.

If your blood pressure is normal before and after a visit to a medical facility, but in the specialist’s office it increases sharply, you should definitely notify your doctor about this.

If there is a suspicion of fear of a white coat when measuring blood pressure, or simply during a visit to the clinic, you should undergo additional diagnostics. For this purpose it is prescribed:

Clinical blood test.
Blood sampling for sugar.
Cholesterol level analysis.
Determination of lipid levels.
Ultrasound of the heart and kidneys.
Duplex of the carotid arteries.
Examination by a psychologist and cardiologist.

Only on the basis of the results obtained is it possible to accurately establish a diagnosis and prescribe adequate therapy.

How not to be nervous at a doctor's appointment?

So, how to deal with fear, what do experts advise in this case? If your blood pressure rises when visiting a doctor, then such a pathological condition can only be eliminated with complex therapy, including the help of an experienced psychologist. Present diseases are stopped medications.

In this case, medications are prescribed:

Sedatives.
Psychotropic.
Antidepressants.

In order to prevent the occurrence of SBH, you must adhere to the following rules:

	Result
Get rid of harmful hobbies	Smoking, alcohol and drugs negatively affect the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Stick to a daily routine	Night sleep for adults should not be less than 8 hours. For insomnia, it is recommended to take herbal decoctions with a mild hypnotic effect.
To live an active lifestyle	Visiting a gym or swimming pool has a positive effect on cardiac activity. It is important not to forget about regular walks in the fresh air. Cardio exercise strengthens the heart and helps cope with stress.
Eat properly	Most of the diet should consist of vegetable and fruit dishes. Nutrition should be chosen so that the body regularly receives the required amount of vitamins and microelements. Avoid sweets and fatty foods.
Passion for computer games	Limit your time at the PC. A long stay in the virtual world negatively affects the general condition of the body.

If a person is predisposed to the syndrome, he must know what not to do before visiting a doctor. If you have BCS, you should not take the following medications:

Valerian.
Motherwort tincture.
Zelenin drops.

Similar medicines give a short-term calming effect, but will significantly prevent a specialist from correctly diagnosing a psychological disorder.

Doctors note that it is imperative to get rid of the pathological fear of the white coat. Strengthening the therapeutic effect of medications is facilitated by special training and consultations with a psychologist. Such events teach a person not to worry, to properly cope with suddenly arising fear, and to control his emotional background.

Conclusion

White coat syndrome is of psychosomatic origin. However, such an anomalous phenomenon should under no circumstances be ignored, especially if it occurs regularly. Lack of help from a psychotherapist can lead to the development of real hypertension and the resulting various complications.

(1 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Overexcitement associated with the very fact of a visit to the hospital is called “white coat syndrome.” That is, even from the mere sight of a doctor in a white coat (or some other medical worker dressed in a similar uniform), the patient’s blood pressure begins to increase and the heart begins to contract more frequently, and many other changes occur, one way or another related to activation of sympathy.

Causes of white coat syndrome

– a common phenomenon that occurs as a result of stress or emotional excitement. The cause of this condition can be various factors, including a visit to a medical facility. An increase in blood pressure in this case is called white coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure.

White coat syndrome is not classic - the patient’s blood pressure increases only before a medical examination or medical examination, although the person has not previously complained of signs of the disease. The principle of white coat hypertension is not associated with cardiovascular pathologies, but with the characteristics of the human psyche and nervous system. People with an unstable psycho-emotional state (or a breakdown in the regulation of vascular tone) experience severe stress before visiting a doctor, which causes their blood pressure numbers to increase.

Negative emotions can cause various pathologies:

fear of diagnostic procedures;
anxiety about one’s own well-being;
other fears.

After the first increase in pressure under established conditions, the body remembers the condition and repeats this action during subsequent visits to the clinic.

The term white coat hypertension refers only to short-term symptoms. In fact, the patient does not have a disease. As a result of stress, mainly during blood pressure measurements in the clinic, the readings become higher. What’s also interesting is that the higher the rank of medical personnel, the higher these indicators.

Currently, white coat hypertension has also begun to be identified in adolescents and young women under 30 years of age. Although there are not very many such cases, but since they appear, they deserve attention. For young and middle-aged people, a wait-and-see approach is primarily recommended. If cases of high blood pressure recur or develop, treatment should be prescribed.

Manifestations of SBH

White coat syndrome manifests itself with the same symptoms as: the patient's pulse quickens, dizziness and headache, occasionally fainting, and the numbers on the tonometer increase, and the “upper” pressure readings are higher than the lower ones (not 120, but 140-150 mm Hg).

In some cases, the disease occurs even in people who regularly use medications to lower blood pressure.

Diagnosing the pathology in question is very difficult, since it is not enough to measure blood pressure one or several times - a whole range of special examinations are needed that are aimed at tracking the dynamics of blood pressure and identifying hidden pathologies. A person needs to regularly monitor blood pressure under normal conditions (at home, at work) and write down the numbers, or undergo a daily blood pressure monitoring procedure. This procedure is performed in a medical facility or on an outpatient basis using a special tonometer that records blood pressure readings after a certain period of time.

In addition, the patient must undergo certain tests:

general blood and urine tests;
cholesterol and sugar levels;
lipid profile;
uric acid concentration.

Instrumental examination methods used to determine the diagnosis include:

Ultrasound of the heart and kidneys;
duplex examination of the carotid arteries.

Some believe that a one-time increase in pressure is safe for humans, but in the end it was decided that this was a mistaken opinion. Regular surges in blood pressure associated with this disease can cause damage internal organs, the development of “classical” arterial hypertension, and in elderly patients – stroke, as well as other cardiogenic disasters.

Upon extensive examination, patients are found to have high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and primary diabetes mellitus. If a similar condition occurs in young people, then the risk of occurrence in adulthood almost doubles. In addition, surges in blood pressure that occur exclusively during a visit to a medical facility can lead to incorrect diagnosis and ineffective therapy, which will also not bring benefits to the patient’s health.

It is important! A strong argument in favor of the fact that white coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure is not considered a separate nosology (and it cannot be considered a disease) is the absence of a clause in the ICD-10 classification that would contain the coding of this condition.

But this does not mean that there is no need to fight it. This feature once again demonstrates that the condition in question should be gotten rid of by influencing the central nervous system and internal nervous system, and not the cardiovascular system, because this problem in hypertensive patients is caused by disorders of psychogenic origin. Besides, this feature The adaptogenic mechanism must be taken into account when a person's blood pressure is measured.

Who is most susceptible to white coat syndrome?

Most often, white coat syndrome is observed in emotional people. What makes them anxious is that they take the doctor's visit to heart. Individuals who are weak in spirit are at risk. People with mental disorders also find themselves in this group; their fear of medical workers manifests itself more often and can lead to a panic attack. In addition, individuals who lead an unhealthy lifestyle and have bad habits are at risk.
Factors that increase the risk of developing the syndrome include:

mature age;
overweight;
increased cholesterol levels in the blood;
cardiovascular disorders;
diabetes.

The risk group also includes people who live in areas with poor ecology, constantly experience stress and lack physical activity. The disease can occur in children due to poor functioning of the nervous system and increased excitability, and very often the pathology is accompanied by abdominal pain, digestive disorders and other symptoms. It is usually associated with an unpleasant condition that the child suffered in a medical facility (physical or mental discomfort).

White coat syndrome often occurs in women during pregnancy, when hormonal imbalances occur in the body. And this is not surprising, because women during pregnancy experience double fear, for themselves and for their child. The syndrome disappears after childbirth and the resumption of hormonal levels.

Pregnant women do not need to see a psychotherapist. It is enough to warn the doctor about the presence of the syndrome. It is necessary to get rid of the manifestations of the disease as soon as possible, since in the future the syndrome can threaten dangerous health problems and other troubles.

Verification and differential diagnosis

In order to determine white coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure, you need to undergo a medical examination, take certain tests and undergo a diagnostic examination:

donate blood for the presence of an increased amount of bad cholesterol and a lipid profile;
check blood for sugar;
do an ultrasound of the kidneys and heart;
duplex of vessels.

Only based on the results of all examinations will the doctor be able to establish the correct diagnosis and suggest treatment methods. In certain cases, it is not possible to alleviate the condition using simple methods; you will need to consult a psychologist. A patient who has been diagnosed with this disease should be under the supervision of a psychotherapist (this mainly applies to pregnant women).

In addition, the patient must fulfill all the doctor’s requirements and attend special trainings. This will help solve psychological problems, make a person mentally balanced, and also stabilize blood pressure. Some patients use folk remedies(valerian, go other tinctures). This can only be done with the permission of the treating doctor.

How to get rid of the syndrome?

It is quite difficult to free yourself from the white coat syndrome, since modern medicine does not recommend using antihypertensive drugs in this condition. For individuals with an unstable mental state and a weak nervous system, auto-training and work with a psychotherapist are recommended.

You can take natural sedatives and folk recipes(infusions of medicinal herbs, including valerian root, motherwort, and other plants). If blood pressure surges do not go away, you need to visit a doctor and find effective treatment medications to prevent the development of complications. Most often, such patients are prescribed antidepressants and psychotropic drugs, which reduce fear and eliminate negative symptoms.

Some patients are confident that such a psychological reaction is not a disease and does not require therapy. However, doctors believe that this problem cannot be ignored. Against the background of regular stress, the disease can lead to an enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart or to the formation of kidney problems.

Tips for treating and preventing white coat syndrome:

You need to adjust your lifestyle. To do this, you need to give up bad habits, eliminate alcohol if possible, switch to a nutritious diet, and devote the right amount of time to physical exercise.
Use various methods of autogenic training, sessions with a psychotherapist.
Contact a specialist for an appointment. Many patients note significant improvements after using sedatives, antidepressants or traditional medicine that are aimed at strengthening the nervous system. It is also possible to use diuretics to lower blood pressure by ridding the body of excess water and salts.

Passing a medical examination

Some people are afraid to undergo a medical examination if they have white coat syndrome. In most cases, this is the fear that the doctor will make the wrong diagnosis based on the examination results. In order to get rid of the white coat syndrome and calmly pass the medical examination, the patient must follow the following recommendations:

be sure to warn the staff about your peculiarity, and before the appointment, inform about the presence of the syndrome - the doctor is not the patient’s enemy, and in any case will provide assistance;
before visiting a doctor, experts advise taking sedatives, which can help you calm down before visiting a medical facility;
On the way to the inspection, set yourself in a positive mood, this will help make listening to pleasant music.

Conclusion

If fear of the white coat syndrome is detected, the patient must be examined by a psychotherapist. The specialist will prescribe a course of therapy and invite the patient to individual training. Constant exercise and treatment will help the patient become more confident, overcome fear, and blood pressure will return to normal after a while.

It is not recommended to take folk remedies before going to the doctor: valerian, motherwort, Zelenin drops. These tinctures will only temporarily calm the patient, but they will interfere with identifying the disease. And with prevention, you can get rid of the development of many concomitant diseases.

It is necessary to focus on lifestyle, the presence of negative habits, diet and its quality, i.e. on all factors that to one degree or another affect the physical and emotional state.

It is necessary to focus attention on this problem for older people and pregnant women, because everyone knows that increased stress is undesirable for such individuals. It must be remembered that if you lead a correct lifestyle, most diseases, including white coat syndrome, will not haunt you.

In case of increased suspiciousness and excessive emotionality, it is advised not to wait for problems to appear and to strengthen your endurance and stress resistance in time under the guidance of an experienced psychotherapist. Some patients will only benefit from taking antidepressants and sedatives.

Many people are interested in the answer to the question: can they jump when going to the attending physician?

Of course yes, since some patients just from their mere presence in a medical facility begin to panic, accompanied by symptoms.

Moreover, they immediately pass after the patient is at home. Doctors even distinguish this phenomenon into a separate syndrome, which has an interesting name - white coat syndrome. According to statistics, approximately 20% of people can experience the so-called “white coat effect” to one degree or another.

Hypertension is understood as an increase in blood pressure precisely at the time of visiting the office of any specialist. It is important to note that many people already have hypertension, but some people are quite healthy in normal life. A paradox appears - tonometer readings increase precisely when measuring blood pressure for those who must conduct a competent examination and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Such an unexpected effect can lead to diagnostic errors and force the victim to use products that he does not need at all. This article fully reveals the concept of white coat syndrome when measuring blood pressure, which is observed in most people.

It is important to note that people suffering from this syndrome often carefully monitor their blood pressure, which is measured at home independently. They record the resulting numbers in a specific journal. As a rule, tonometer readings are quite normal in a calm and peaceful environment that is comfortable.

Moreover, the person does not have any symptoms of problems in the body. So what are the reasons for this phenomenon? As is known, in response to a strong one, blood pressure may suddenly increase in many modern people, who are characterized by emotionality and also an unstable psyche. This also includes persons with disorders of the neurohumoral regulation of vascular tone.

From this information we can conclude that those people who react to any visit to the doctor with increased blood pressure and are simply worried about their health. They worry about the results of tests and examinations, so they may well experience some stress, which affects the performance of the device designed to measure pressure.

Qualified specialists note that white coat hypertension is a phenomenon of adaptation or a so-called conditioned reflex, when the human body remembers its excitement at the first visit to the doctor and repeatedly repeats this reaction at all subsequent visits to the doctor.

Often this pathology is called nothing more than office arterial hypertension of the isolated type. It is part of a complex of ailments that are classified as blood hypertension.

It is important to note that the white coat effect in blood pressure measurements requires more careful study. Another name for the disease is due to the fact that people with this syndrome do not react quite normally to any new and exciting situation. As a rule, each time it is a kind of outburst of emotions.

Few people know that this syndrome carries a certain danger, which is the development of diseases that affect the human cardiovascular system. As a rule, the risks are the same as for arterial hypertension.

As a result, there is no need to hope that the disease is not such at all.

You should not ignore the first symptoms of the disease, which can still be eliminated.

This must be done before the signs develop into a real dangerous disease. We should not forget that medical coat syndrome is not as harmless as it seems at first glance. Even if it manifests itself very rarely.

The whole point is that with a thorough examination, a person’s problems are still diagnosed. The most pronounced deviations are: increased cholesterol levels in the blood, the initial stages of diabetes mellitus, as well as coronary heart disease.

If white coat hypertension begins to develop in young people, then in the future the risk of developing arterial hypertension in them only increases. It does not disappear, even if no pathologies were detected at the time of examination.

The syndrome is quite unpleasant when carrying a child, since unexpected and unwanted pressure surges are extremely harmful to the fetus, and a woman often has to go to the doctor during pregnancy.

The disease poses a great threat to older people who simultaneously suffer from an endocrine disorder such as diabetes.

This is especially true for endocrinology patients who are extremely weakened after recently undergoing surgical interventions on the heart muscle and blood vessels.

The likelihood of real hypertension is incredibly high among those who live in an insufficiently comfortable psychological climate, suffer from physical inactivity and have bad habits, such as smoking and alcoholism. It is likely that overstretching of the left ventricle of the heart muscle will appear as a result of this dangerous syndrome.

Doctors often diagnose the development of serious pathological ailments due to constant changes in blood pressure.

According to existing statistics, approximately 80% of people under 40 years of age who have this disease develop persistent hypertension.

Fear of the white coat when measuring blood pressure

As a rule, only one-time cases of this syndrome do not require any measures.

In order to accurately record the number and frequency of changes in blood pressure, the patient should constantly record all the tonometer readings that were detected during measurements at home.

To clarify the vascular risk, it is necessary to determine whether there are any changes in target organs and diagnose concomitant diseases. To do this, it is imperative to undergo an appropriate examination and so-called instrumental diagnostics, which includes special tests. As a rule, the examination includes an ECG, ultrasound of the heart muscle and kidneys.

Balanced diet, sufficient physical activity, as well as getting rid of a sedentary lifestyle - these are the main measures that will prevent the disease from progressing and will help the blood vessels to always be in good shape.

All people who suffer from white coat syndrome should definitely normalize their lifestyle. To do this, you need to completely say goodbye to bad habits, such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

How to get rid of the syndrome?

As a rule, many patients with medical coat syndrome benefit greatly from various auto-training techniques, as well as periodic sessions with a psychologist.

If arterial hypertension gradually begins to progress, you must contact your personal doctor, who will prescribe special treatment using appropriate medications.

Timely diagnosis of concomitant pathologies allows you to get rid of their further development. It is very important to follow all the recommendations of your personal doctor and take prescribed medications.

As a rule, more serious treatment is necessary when a specialist has identified any abnormalities in the functioning of target organs. Typically, in this case, the patient exhibits “classical” arterial hypertension, and not just an isolated syndrome.

It is important to note that preventing the further development of this pathology is quite standard measures that are considered preventive for all existing diseases of the cardiovascular system.

These include complete cessation of tobacco products, as well as other bad habits that can push the disease to further progression.

You should limit the consumption of fatty, smoked, and sweet foods, which are harmful to the patient’s already vulnerable health.

It is important to note that it increases not only blood pressure, but also the cholesterol level in the blood serum. If you have unusually strong suspiciousness and excessive emotionality, it is advisable not to wait for health problems, but to train your endurance and resistance to stressful situations in advance. As a rule, many do this under the guidance of a personal specialist - a psychologist.

When the first symptoms of the disease appear, which usually manifests itself in the doctor’s office, you must immediately take the appropriate measures described in this article. Doctors advise, first of all, to pay attention to your own lifestyle.

Some people benefit greatly from the use of special antidepressants and traditional methods, which contribute to the immediate normalization of the performance of the central nervous system.

Video on the topic

What is white coat hypertension? How to get rid of bottom syndrome? Answers in the video:

White coat syndrome is only dangerous if it occurs repeatedly. In isolated situations, there is no need to worry prematurely. All the same, it is worth paying close attention to the presence of destructive bad habits that can undermine your already poor health.

Particular attention to the above-described disease should be paid to people who are over 60 years old and women who are in interesting position. As a rule, excessive excitement for these two categories of people can be extremely dangerous and, of course, undesirable.