Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: an argument for wider clinical use.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring predicts cardiovascular risk better than office readings do. It can detect white-coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and normal and aberrant patterns of circadian variation in blood pressure. Though the clinical role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is currently limited, its use can be considered in many common clinical situations, eg, resistant hypertension, transplantation, pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, and dialysis. It may help in therapeutic decision-making and save money in the long term.