Characteristics of young-onset white coat hypertension identified by targeted screening for hypertension at a university health check-up.

Previously we estimated the prevalence of essential hypertension (EH) as around 0.1% and suggested that male gender, obesity, and strong genetic background (hypertension in parents) were risk factors for EH in a young population aged less than 30 based on targeted screening for hypertension at a university health check-up. This study also revealed a high incidence of white coat hypertension (WCH) in university students, and thus, we continued this screening for four consecutive years, and examined the prognosis and clinical characteristics of young-onset WCH.