Abstract
The diagnosis of hypertension should be made over
several visits of the patient to the GP. An elevated blood pressure may
be due to white-coat hypertension or may be a symptom of a more serious
condition, such as chronic kidney disease.
Key Points
-
- The diagnosis of hypertension should be made over several visits of the patient to the GP surgery.
- Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is useful to evaluate a patient for white-coat hypertension or masked hypertension.
- Home blood pressure monitoring is now frequently used by patients in the management of their condition.
- All patients with hypertension should be screened for diseases of the kidney, which are probably the most common secondary cause of hypertension.
- Other secondary causes of hypertension to consider include primary aldosteronism and phaeochromocytoma.
