Masked hypertension incidence and risk factors in a prospective cohort study

Abstract

The present study is the first to identify risk factors for the incidence of masked hypertension. Current guidelines for hypertension detection recommend ambulatory blood pressure in patients with an elevated blood pressure reading at the clinic. As it is impractical to measure ambulatory blood pressure in all normotensive patients, factors identified in the present study should be considered for the screening of at-risk individuals and for primary prevention of masked hypertension.