Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in White Coat Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The long-term cardiovascular risk of isolated elevated office blood pressure (BP) is unclear. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the risk for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality associated with untreated white coat hypertension (WCH) and treated white coat effect (WCE). The conclusion is that untreated WCH, but not treated WCE, is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Out-of-office BP monitoring is critical in the diagnosis and management of hypertension.