Frequency of masked hypertension and its relation to target organ damage in the heart

Abstract Introduction The phenomenon of masked hypertension (MH) is common. MH recognition as a clinical entity of its own is still a matter of debate. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MH and its relation to cardiovascular risk factors as well as its relation to target organ damage. Material and methods A total of 100 patients who were indicated for 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) were enrolled in the study. Blood pressure (BP) was measured in the clinic, during the following week, echocardiography and ABPM were done. Patients were classified into four groups according to clinical BP and ABPM readings: true normotension, sustained hypertension (SH), white coat hypertension (WCH) and MH. Results The incidence of MH was 37%. DM was significantly higher in SH than MH, also, it was significantly higher in MH than true normotensive patients. Obesity was significantly higher in SH than MH. ABPM readings were significantly higher in SH than MH, whereas they were significantly higher in MH than WCH and true normotensive patients. LVH was higher in MH than SH, however, the difference was not statistically significant. LVH was significantly higher in MH than WCH and true normotensive patients. Conclusion MH is a common phenomenon and associated with subclinical target organ damage in the heart comparable to SH and significantly higher than WCH and true normotension.