FEAR OF GP BAD FOR YOUR HEART

PEOPLE with white coat syndrome are at slightly higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with a normal blood pressure reading, found a ten-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April.

One suggestion is that those who have white coat syndrome also release stress hormones in situations, such as traffic, leading to high blood pressure. But their risk of heart disease was nowhere as high as those with definite high blood pressure, says Professor Bryan Williams, a consultant physician from University College London, who led the study.

He said: ‘Blood pressure [of those with white coat syndrome] should be monitored with a home or ambulatory monitor once a year, as many of these patients will ultimately develop high blood pressure.’