Abstract
Background
Many persons exhibit an elevation in blood pressure (BP) when examined in a medical setting. We examined whether individuals exhibiting an exaggerated pressure response (high responders) to BP determination would have an elevated baseline BP on follow-up, independent of the initial BP level.Methods and results
A total of 1217 employed men not on hypertensive medication, aged 20-64 years were examined over 2-4 years (mean 2.6 years) following the baseline measurements at entry. Pressure response was assessed at entry and defined as the difference between the first and fourth values in successive readings. Such a response was apparent for systolic BP (SBP) but was negligible for diastolic BP (DBP) and the former was negatively related to the baseline BP value. High responders were defined as persons showing a pressure response greater than the average for the respective subgroup with an initially similar baseline BP value. Logistic regression results indicated that those with high SBP responsivity had a 2.7 times greater chance of having an elevated SBP (> or = 140 mm Hg) on follow-up (95% CI 1.8-4.1, P Conclusions
These findings suggest that SBP hyperresponsivity, to BP determination at the clinic independently predicts elevated SBP 2.6 years later. Further studies are warranted to determine the predictive value over a longer follow-up period.