One in Five Patients May Be at Risk of Cardiovascular Events due to Undiagnosed Hypertension

​More than 18% of patients were found to be at increased risk of cardiovascular events because they had "masked hypertension," which caused their blood pressure to appear normal in a medical office but to rise significantly at home, finds a study published in the November 17, 2015, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Based on a multiethnic sample of more than 3,000 patients, the researchers also determined that 3% of patients had "white coat" hypertension, which is a higher blood pressure reading in a clinical setting than at home.