White-coat hypertension in pregnant women

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy remain a global medical and social problem, complicating 2–8% of pregnancies and associated with high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The traditional measurement of blood pressure in clinical practice is the most commonly used procedure for the diagnosis and control of the treatment of hypertension, but it is subject to significant inaccuracies caused, on the one hand, by the inherent variability of blood pressure itself (BP), and on the other hand, by errors arising from measurement methods and conditions. A high BP detected in the clinic should be confirmed by out-of-office BP measurement, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, or home BP monitoring, which distinguishes chronic hypertension from white coat hypertension, in which blood pressure is elevated in the clinic, but remains normal at home, which is important to prevent excessive treatment and diagnosis of masked hypertension. White-coat hypertension is not a benign condition in which higher risks of developing preeclampsia, premature birth and small-for-gestational-age infants have been shown. In this regard, it is extremely important for clinicians to be aware of the risk factors and outcomes associated with white coat hypertension. Pregnant women should be medically monitored both during pregnancy and after delivery to detect target organ damage, cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome.