Masked hypertension

Masked hypertension is diagnosed if the office blood pressure reading is not increased but the out-of-office-blood pressure reading by either home blood pressure monitoring or by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is increased (1-3). Patients being treated for hypertension who have a normal office blood pressure reading but an increased out-of-office-blood pressure reading by either home blood pressure monitoring or by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be diagnosed as having masked uncontrolled hypertension (1). The European Society of Hypertension diagnosed an increased office blood pressure if the blood pressure was 140/90 mm Hg or higher and an increased out-of-office-blood pressure if the home blood pressure reading was 135/85 mmHg or higher, the daytime blood pressure reading measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was 135/85 mmHg or higher, or the 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure reading was 130/80 mmHg or higher (1). On the basis of current data, I would diagnose hypertension if the office systolic blood pressure was 130 mmHg or higher or if the office diastolic blood pressure was 80 mmHg or higher (4,5)