Ask Dr Miriam

QEvery time my doctor takes my blood pressure it goes through the roof. We’ve never been able to get a normal reading even though when I take my blood pressure at home it’s in the normal range.

I even had an operation cancelled because the same thing happened in hospital and I was told to go back to my GP.

My GP says he won’t treat a non-existent ailment. What can I do?

AYou have what’s called white coat syndrome – your blood pressure rises with the proximity of a doctor or nurse because you become anxious. The anxiety makes you produce adrenalin and the adrenalin raises your blood pressure.

There is a way around this but it requires more time than your GP or your hospital carers probably have: your blood pressure is taken three times over a period of at least half an hour when you’re lying quietly on a bed. Then the average of these three readings is taken. Usually a 24-hour blood pressure examination will show that over a course of a day your blood pressure is normal and such a report would reassure your surgeon and anaesthetist if they have access to it. One suggestion I can make is prior to your surgery you have some sedation which will prevent you from becoming anxious. But it’s a timeconsuming process. If surgery is really needed I’m sure you won’t be denied it.