'White-coat hypertension' is a medical term that refers to increased blood pressures in patients only when they are in a clinical setting.

Blood pressure can increase due to reasons such as anxiety, stress, overwork or mental pressure. Doctors strongly believe that anxiety is one of the principal causes of white-coat blood pressure. This may occurs due to the apprehension that patients undergo during a visit to the doctor, and is only temporary. White-coat hypertension is difficult to diagnose or treat. Many people are aware that they feel nervous or anxious, but many others may think that they are relaxed when, in fact, they are not. White-coat hypertension can affect anyone, young or old, male or female, and in case of some people, anxiety can raise their blood pressure by as much as 30mmHg on the systolic (top) number.

Doctors believe that people with white-coat hypertension are at less risk of heart disease or stroke than someone who has sustained high blood pressure, but are at greater risk than someone who has normal blood pressure at all times.  For this reason, it is important to make sure that such patients have their blood pressure checked regularly – at least once a year.  This is to make sure that if blood pressure starts to rise, necessary medical steps can be taken to lower it as soon as possible.