Please Kindly Share: Your opinion, research findings, one's experience, or anything related with the topic!
Mohammed - it's commonly called 'white coat syndrome' as you suggest. It's the stress of the consultation. Most clients would rather avoid their GP if they could. They want to 'please' their doctor and come away with a 'clean bill of health' and no further tests or interventions. This raises the stress levels leading up[ to the consultation. Those that 'over-worry' are more likely to have Type-A characteristics - so more l to suffer hyper-tension in the first place - and more at risk of cardiac conditions.
White-coat hypertension: blood pressure is normal at home and in other non medical settings but increased when it is measured at the doctors office. Study suggests that people with this condition face a greater threat of heart disease than people whose blood pressure readings are always normal.
Mohammed - it's commonly called 'white coat syndrome' as you suggest. It's the stress of the consultation. Most clients would rather avoid their GP if they could. They want to 'please' their doctor and come away with a 'clean bill of health' and no further tests or interventions. This raises the stress levels leading up[ to the consultation. Those that 'over-worry' are more likely to have Type-A characteristics - so more l to suffer hyper-tension in the first place - and more at risk of cardiac conditions.
First of all, I thank Dean Whitehead for his explanation.
White-coat hypertension has become a widely used concept especially in the last 10 years and was accepted in the medical environment.
Publications from Pubmed:
the https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=white-coat+hypertensio
White-coat hypertension.
Martin CA et al. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. (2014)
White coat hypertension in pediatrics.
Jurko A Jr et al. Ital J Pediatr. (2016)
Prevalence of white-coat and masked hypertension in national and international registries.
Gorostidi M et al. Hypertens Res. (2015)
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is defined as a top reading of at least 130 or a bottom one of 80. The concern is that if readings are only elevated in the doctor's office, high blood pressure drugs might drop pressure too low. On average, when blood pressure is taken at home, the systolic number can be around 10 mm Hg lower than it would be if taken by a doctor and 5 mm Hg lower on the diastolic number. This is usually referred to as white-coat effect. For some people this difference can be even greater. Blood pressure is not fixed – it rises and falls throughout the day in response to what one is doing and what is happening around people. White-coat effects will often happen because one is nervous about having blood pressure tested by a doctor or nurse. Most people tend to feel more tense in medical settings than in familiar surroundings. The white coat effect can influence some peoples’ blood pressure more than others. Very anxious people have their systolic blood pressure rising by as much as 30 mm Hg, making it more difficult for the medical doctor to get an accurate measurement of blood pressure.
Great discussion! Thanks for providing insightful information about white coat syndrome!
Patients who are healthy and go to the doctor are probably particularly excited.
Anyone who does running training and measures their values before and after knows particularly well from experience that pulse and blood pressure should be distinguished. Both are variables or parameters to ensure a good blood supply throughout the body. If the blood vessels become narrower, the blood pressure rises, but not the pulse. However, if more blood is needed per cell, the heart must beat more often, increasing the number of pulse beats. After running you can see that the blood pressure is often lower, but the pulse is higher. Alcohol also raises blood pressure, but the mechanisms that cause it are more complex than non-physicians think.
Fear of Doctor, fear of Injection, some completed treatment procedure, some fear if blood, some sort of different smell
High blood pressure in the doctor's office but not at home due to fear, horror and hysteria of doctors
"Fear, horror and hysteria of doctors?" That's an interesting statement.
I remember that the doctor gave me a particularly high blood pressure, while I felt very cool and unexcited myself, so I was very surprised at the result of the measurement. Maybe he had a higher blood pressure than me ( ?).
There exist various pressures the form of fears 😱.
Fear of surgery
Fear of suggesting expensive Lab.tests
Fear of extra fee and unexpected expenditures
Fear of extra medicine
Fear of diagnosis of new disease
And so on
I think it is natural.
Not only in the case of doctor take any incident especially meeting someone first time or speaking in front of people first few seconds or for a while your heartbeat like anything later it becomes normal slowly.
Not for all persons, few may experience this.
Dear Hein Retter - thank you for sharing your reply. Great points!!!
High blood pressure at Doctor's office is due to unknowingly tension is developed, fear in the sense that Doctor may tell or detect unusual thing and what happens if detected, seeing the patients around and coming to a new atmosphere not connected.
Dear Pisipaty Srinivas Kishore ,
Thank you fro your reply. Great points!!
Medical appointments make most people feel at least a little bit anxious. But for some, that stress may trigger a temporary rise in blood pressure. If their blood pressure is normal at home and in other nonmedical settings, they have what's known as white-coat hypertension.
Now, a large study suggests that people with this condition face a greater threat of heart disease than people whose blood pressure readings are always normal. Normal blood pressure is defined as less than 120/80, whereas high blood pressure is 130/80 and higher.
Medical appointments make most people feel at least a little bit anxious. But for some, that stress may trigger a temporary rise in blood pressure. If their blood pressure is normal at home and in other nonmedical settings, they have what's known as white-coat hypertension.
Now, a large study suggests that people with this condition face a greater threat of heart disease than people whose blood pressure readings are always normal. Normal blood pressure is defined as less than 120/80, whereas high blood pressure is 130/80 and higher.
Hi,
I agree with the white coat syndrome; Apart from that, no matter, how big a science person you are, the smell of the surgical spirit and the ambience does increase our blood pressure. (anxiety). It has happened to me several times. I turn cold at times too.
The blood pressure elevated due to stress and anxiety even the heart rate also elevated .
Anxiety increases with the fear of unknown. In neurosciences an increase in anxiety at stage or during any examination has a relation with the release of endorphins.
There is no calibration of medical equipments and instruments
No law to maintain calibration
Both instruments i.e at home and at clinic may differ by non comparison of two
There is every chance of getting high blood pressure at Doctor's office. The reason being, one goes to doctor when there is health problem. One thinks, that, the health problem is more or doctor prescribes high tests or may ask to admit immediately or to have an urgent operation. Whereas in house, everything is cool and calm.
Stress! Your body produces a surge of hormones when you're in a stressful situation. These hormones temporarily increase your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow.
As a physician one is aware of this fact and automatically deduces something (like 5% or so) from the values measured.
Whitecoat hypertension is a condition affecting patients who experience stress or anxiety at a medical setting such as a doctor's office or hospital.
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