Abstract
To the Editor. —In the article entitled How Common is White Coat Hypertension? Pickering et al1attempted to estimate the percentage of patients with elevated blood pressures in the clinic who have normal pressures at other times. Although they identified 21% of the borderline hypertensives and 5% of the established hypertensives as having white coat hypertension, their patient selection and results should be subjected to careful scrutiny. The selection bias is overwhelming. The normotensive group was subject to response bias. The authors fail to state from what population the normotensive group was drawn and also the criteria for selection, other than no previous history of hypertension or cardiovascular disease. Was there random selection among the volunteers? Or, are we to assume the first 37 volunteers were chosen as the normotensive group? The criteria for selection of both the borderline hypertensives and the established hypertensives are also unclear. Did all
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