White Coat Hypertension in Childhood: Evidence for End-Organ Effect

Objective

To evaluate the hypothesis that white coat hypertension (WCH) represents a prehypertensive state by correlating ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) results with BP response to treadmill exercise (TE) and echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in children with high blood pressure (HBP).

Study design

We evaluated 119 consecutive children age 6 to 18 years (mean = 13.3 years; 65% male) referred for HBP. Office systolic BP (SBP) exceeded the 95th percentile for age/sex/height in all of the children; 10% also had elevated diastolic BP (DBP). WCH was defined as elevated office SBP ± elevated DBP with normal mean awake ABPM-SBP. ABPM classified 62 subjects as having WCH and 57 as having HBP.

Results

Office BP did not differ between the 2 groups. As defined, awake ABPM-SBP was lower in the WCH group (males: HBP, 142 ± 12 vs WCH, 124 ± 5; females: HBP, 137 ± 8 vs WCH, 121 ± 5). Awake and asleep DBP and asleep SBP were significantly lower in the WCH group. On TE, maximal SBP exceeded norms for age/sex/body surface area in 63% of the HBP group and 38% of the WCH group. LVMI exceeded the 95th percentile for age/sex in 59% of the males and 90% of the females in the HBP group and in 33% of the males and 36% of the females in the WCH group.

Conclusions

Exaggerated exercise BP and/or increased LVMI in 62% of those subjects with WCH suggest that this diagnosis in children may represent a prehypertensive state.

Abbreviations: ABPM, Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, BP, Blood pressure, DBP, Diastolic blood pressure, HBP, High blood pressure, LV, Left ventricle, LVMI, Left ventricular mass index, RER, Respiratory exchange ratio, SBP, Systolic blood pressure, TE, Treadmill exercise, WCH, White coat hypertension