Suggest treatment to control blood pressure
Patient: Hi..I have a fear of having my bp taken because I know it s going to be high , I have (white coat) and now hypertension) not on meds yet because my doc wants to complete his tests. How can I controle this fear and calm myself in the hospital environment and bp monitor? I try so hard . Doctor: Hello!Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!I understand your concern, and would like to explain that this is a common syndrome affecting up to 2 % of patients. If your blood pressure is high only when monitored by the medical staff or in a medical institution, there is nothing to worry about.White Coat syndrome is a benign type of episodic hypertension, which doesn't cause any higher cardio-vascular risk compared to normal persons and as such no treatment is required. It is really difficult to control your anxiety, but psychotherapy and anxiolytics can help you manage better this situation. I recommend to closely monitor your blood pressure at home different times during the day and perform some tests like: a resting ECG, chest x ray, blood lab tests (complete blood count, fasting sugar, blood lipid profile, thyroid hormone levels, kidney and liver function tests, blood electrolytes, etc.), to exclude other possible causes of secondary hypertension. Hope to have been helpful!Best wishes, Dr. Iliri