Executive Summary
When a hypertensive person has normal BP in a medical setting, it is called masked hypertension and is dangerous because such a person is labelled normal.
Measuring BP at home with a probable instrument or wearing an ambulatory BP monitor for a week are two ways of diagnosing masked hypertension. The treatment is the same as that given to hypertensive patients.
Having a high blood pressure (BP) problem or hypertension is bad, but it is worse if undetected. However, the worst possible situation is when your doctor finds your BP to be normal, despite you having high BP most of the time.
Ten to thirty per cent of hypertensive people go about their lives with this false and dangerous clean chit. Could you be one of them?
What is Masked Hypertension?
Masked hypertension is a condition when a hypertensive person has normal BP in a clinic or hospital. However, when measured outside a clinical setting, his BP readings are high. Such a person is often misdiagnosed because a doctor pronounces him normal after finding his BP normal.
This is not due to any error in the measurement process. The person is, indeed, hypertensive with an increased risk of heart problems and organ damage, but inexplicably, his BP comes down to normal in a clinic.
We don’t know the cause of masked hypertension. But such patients are more likely to be:
- Of younger age
- Males
- Stressed
- Smokers
- Alcohol drinkers
How To Diagnose Masked Hypertension
Most patients with masked hypertension are diagnosed when they are given an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) for some other purpose. An ABPM measures and records blood pressure every 20 minutes when you are awake and every 60 minutes when you are sleeping. This is usually done for a week and gives you a good understanding of your BP fluctuations.
If someone is a smoker, has his BP in the pre-hypertensive range (slightly below the high blood pressure cutoff of 140/90 mmHg) or has an occasional high BP measurement, he should be checked for masked hypertension. Read on this website: When Is Blood Pressure Considered High?
While high blood pressure often shows no symptoms, a few people may get nausea, dizziness, confusion, headaches, blurred vision, chest pain and difficulty in breathing. If a patient complains of these but his BP is normal when measured in the clinic, masked hypertension should be suspected.
Such a patient should be given an ABPM for a week or the person should buy a portable BP instrument for home use and check his BP regularly. Either of these can confirm masked hypertension.
How To Treat Masked Hypertension
Masked hypertension is a high BP problem, after all, and should get regular high BP treatment. Doctors may recommend:
- Blood pressure-lowering medicines
- No smoking
- Stress reduction
- Adequate sleep
- Reduced alcohol consumption
- Exercise and physical activities
- Heart-healthy diet
- Obesity reduction and weight control.
In nearly 15 to 30 per cent of hypertensive patients, the reverse is true. That is, their BP is normal if measured at home but tests elevated in a doctor’s clinic. This is called White-coat hypertension. Read on this Website: How To Find Out If You Have White-Coat Hypertension.
To Read More
- AHA Journals (Hypertension): Masked Hypertension—A Phenomenon of Measurement
- MedicalNewsToday: What is masked hypertension?
- Research Paper (2017): Masked hypertension
First Published on: 27th February 2024
Image Credit: Image by Freepik
Last Updated on: 29th February 2024