[24-hour ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure and the diagnosis of resistant hypertension].

Twenty-four hour ambulatory monitoring of the blood pressure (BP) is a new non-invasive examination method which makes it possible to follow up the BP in the patients' environment--at work, at home during sleep. Casual assessment of BP in the surgery causes in some patients an alarm reaction to the assessment, the so-called "white coat phenomenon", and thus frequently does not reflect the considerable variability of BP associated with physical activity and changes of the psychic state in the course of the day. Monitoring of the BP is an important part of investigations comparing the action of different antihypertensive drugs, it is, however, also helpful in clinical practice. It makes possible a more satisfactory evaluation, in particular in patients with mild hypertension, and frequently also more accurate assessment of the diagnosis. In some patients where despite treatment higher BP readings persist, monitoring of the BP makes it possible to differentiate patients with truly resistant or inadequately treated hypertension from those who have substantially higher BP readings in the surgery than in the course of the day.