White coat hypertension in type 1 diabetic patients without nephropathy

The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of white coat hypertension (WCH) in type 1 diabetic patients. Therefore, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and 24-h urinary albumin excretion (UAE) were determined in 47 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (27 with new diagnosis of hypertension by office blood pressure (BP) measurement and 20 with normotension). WCH was diagnosed in 20 patients (74%). Patients with WCH presented higher values of systolic and diastolic BP and UAE than normotensive patients. The results indicate that in type 1 diabetes mellitus WCH is very frequent. Thus, WCH may represent a potential risk for the development of diabetic complications, mainly diabetic nephropathy.