Does ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) improve the diagnosis of white-coat hypertension in children compared to office blood pressure readings?
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosing white-coat hypertension in children, providing a more precise evaluation than office blood pressure readings.
AIM: This mini review explored the prevalence of white-coat hypertension (WCH), which is very common in children. It results in elevated office blood pressure (BP) but normal ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) readings. METHODS: WCH can only be identified by analysing and comparing office BP readings and ABPM, which periodically records BP every 20-30 minutes over 24-hour period. This study provides initially the background for WCH in adults, together with a comprehensive overview of the most relevant paediatric data on WCH. RESULTS: Accurate measurements of BP are very important for the diagnosis and management of hypertension. It is important to acknowledge the clinical relevance of WCH and follow up children who display this BP phenotype by carrying out ABPM, so that clinicians can build up an accurate picture of their BP. It is also important to identify children who have BP issues and are overweight or obese, so that treatment of this modifiable cardiovascular risk factor can be initiated. CONCLUSION: Using ABPM provides paediatricians with a more precise evaluation of a child's BP readings than office BP readings. It is the gold standard for diagnosing WCH.
Rafael T. Krmar (Thu,) studied this question.