‘Masked’ hypertension doesn’t show up in a doctor’s office, so home monitoring is needed, researchers say.
A new study suggests that 17 million American adults may have what doctors call “masked” hypertension — blood pressure that tends to be higher outside of the medical clinic environment.
Based on the analysis, the researchers estimated that just over 12 percent of Americans over the age of 21 have masked hypertension. That translates into about one in every eight people — or 17.1 million Americans, Schwartz’s team said.
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Masked hypertension was typically more common among males than females. Having diabetes raised the odds for the condition, and so did advancing age, the research showed.
Schwartz’s team noted that masked hypertension can pose real dangers, raising a person’s risk for heart disease, organ damage and early death.
