DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY FOR WHITE COAT HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY

Although white coat hypertension is common in clinical practice,1-3 its pathogenesis and clinical prognosis remain unknown. In elderly patients with office hypertension, white coat hypertension should be differentiated from true hypertension, since the excessive reduction in blood pressure (BP) caused by antihypertensive medication may induce an ischemic event in a vital organ. The present study assesses the sensitivity and specificity of electrocardiography in detection of white coat hypertension and quantitatively measures left ventricular hypertrophy in such patients using echocardiography. Results are compared with those in normotensive control subjects and in patients with true persistent hypertension. © 1994.