How much of that number isn't due to the White Coat Syndrome one wonders?
I had nasal polyps removed and my septum straightened under general anaesthetic in November last year and I was really anxious about this procedure in the days running up to the operation. The morning of the operation my wife and I had a disagreement about nonsense. Needless to say when I went in that afternoon I was the only patient in the entire hospital, it was a small hospital geared up for sports injuries but as I got there after lunch all the staff wafted by looking at me, greeting at the same time, but in your head you are thinking oh dear I'm on the slab next and who knows what that does to your sub concious. The mind is the most powerful organ apparently and who knows its effect on your BP.
They measured my BP before the operation and it was 200/100, but he cuff was too small which skewed the number. The Doctor was quite concerned and told them I personally felt fine, no headaches (or tinnitus in my case) or signs of High Blood Pressure, I was really anxious to get this over with.
When they put me on the table before the Anaesthetic and used the theatres BP Machine it was 160/95 and he was happy saying he can regulate that with meds.
To summarise and I am going to state what the guy at the health shop said to me. Get your own BP Machine and measure your BP in the morning and the evening, not during the day and use the third reading as being the correct one. When I do this my BP is anything from 110/65 to 117/75. He believes fully in the white coat syndrome saying that your BP when tested under clinical conditions can often be higher than what it actually should be.
I used to be concerned about my BP, not so much any more, a lot can be contributed to your state of mind before you look at a medical/clinical reasons for it.
