Persistent white coat hypertension

Measurement of systolic blood pressure by nurses at two screening visits (S1 and S2) and during five-year follow-up in patients from the Medical Research Council Mild Hypertension trial. The measurements made by a doctor are denoted by D; all other measurements were made by nurses. A white coat effect, leading to higher measurements by doctors, is present throughout the study, being most prominent at the entry examination (E).