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Comment by revelation | Hacker News Reader

My body likes to shoot up my blood pressure far off the charts whenever someone tries to measure it. Of course, the pattern only grows stronger from these experiences.

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True of everyone, it's called white coat hypertension:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat_hypertension

After my doctor noticed high-ish blood pressure, I bought a meter and started measuring at home. Always below 120/80, sometimes below 110/75. I brought the same meter to the doctor's office and measured 135/85.

Strange, isn't it?

Not true of _everyone_, but definitely true of some (including me). Additionally, white coat hypertension is not entirely benign. From the wikipedia article you link:

"In general, individuals with white coat hypertension have lower morbidity than patients with sustained hypertension, but higher morbidity than the clinically normotensive."

In general, individuals with white coat hypertension have lower morbidity than patients with sustained hypertension, but higher morbidity than the clinically normotensive.

There goes my plan to live forever. Foiled again!

Same, but my doctor just samples it a couple times during the visit and it eventually leaves crazytown.

Fun fact: if your pressure is getting measured less than 5 minutes after you enter the seated, relaxed position, it's likely to be bogusly elevated even if you don't have white coat hypertension.

Mine was really high (150/90 vs. the normal 110/70) a few times when it got measured, but never high at home. I figured out what it was -- I'm getting it done biweekly when I donate platelets, and it is measured while the nurse is asking screening questions about where I've been in the past 3 years. She then says "what is state is Kuwait in, is it a city?". This reliably spikes my BP.

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