Target Organ Status and Serum Lipids in Patients With White Coat Hypertension

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Abstract Target organ status and serum lipids were investigated in white coat hypertension in comparison with sustained hypertension and normotension. We selected three groups balanced for sex, age, body mass index, and smoking habit: 50 sustained hypertensives (clinical hypertension and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure >135/85 mm Hg, a cutoff limit obtained from a normotensive population), 25 white coat hypertensives (clinical hypertension and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure 2 , P <.05), intima-media thickness (0.85±0.18 versus 0.71±0.15 mm, P <.05), minimum forearm vascular resistance (2.33±0.11 versus 2.04±0.08 resistance units, P <.05), urinary albumin excretion values (15.1±13.8 versus 4.45±1.48 mg per 24 hours, P <.0001), prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (38% versus 4%, P <.002), intima-media thickening (28% versus 4%, P <.015), and microalbuminuria (22% versus 0%, P <.015). No significant difference, however, was observed between the white coat hypertensives and the normotensives. Serum lipid profile was similar in the white coat hypertensives and in the normotensives. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that white coat hypertensives do not show target organ damage and do not present an unfavorable lipid profile, suggesting that they may be counseled on nonpharmacological therapy and that drug treatment could be withheld or delayed.