White-coat hypertension and masked hypertension: an update

Abstract

White coat hypertension and masked hypertension are two conditions with a controversial role in the beginning and the progression of the cardiovascular disease. We focused our attention to the definition, the epidemiology, the pathophysiology and the clinical consequences of these two conditions, with an attention also to the management. This review was based on the papers found on PubMed and MEDLINE up to August 2015. The search terms used were <em>white coat hypertension</em>, <em>masked hypertension</em> in combination with <em>epidemiology, management and pathophysiology</em>.