- With Mayo Clinic emeritus hypertension specialist
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
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Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Dr. Sheldon Sheps, emeritus professor of medicine and former chair of the Hypertension Division in the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1960.
Dr. Sheps, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, is board certified in internal medicine and specializes in hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases. He developed a multidisciplinary approach with specially trained nurses, dietitians, technicians and educators to help form a team approach to the treatment of patients with abnormal blood pressure.
"I have always believed in involving the patient and family in their health care," he says. "I have asked for their understanding of the illness and issues and for participation in decisions. The Web is a natural extension of that, and now many more people can be informed."
Dr. Sheps chaired the sixth working group, and participated in the fourth, fifth and seventh groups, that developed the then-latest guidelines for hypertension under the auspices of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). He helped write the latest American Heart Association (AHA) report on blood pressure measurement. He chaired an AHA group that produced an online accreditation for blood pressure measurement for health professionals. He has co-authored books, newsletters, CD-ROMs and other Mayo Clinic health information material and joined Mayo Clinic's Web team in 1998. He was medical editor-in-chief of both editions of the "Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure" book; the last edition was published in 2003. He was also medical editor-in-chief of "Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure,'' published in 2008.
He was section editor for each of the first three editions of "Hypertension Primer" for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Sheps was also chairman of the Science Base Subcommittee, National High Blood Pressure Education Program, and was a consultant to the Hypertension Initiative of the World Health Organization. In 1997, he was honored with the Individual Achievement Award on the 25th anniversary of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program of NHLBI. In 2009, he was honored as a Distinguished Mayo Alumnus.
Definition (3)
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Risk factors (2)
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- Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
Symptoms (1)
- Pulse pressure: An indicator of heart health?
Causes (5)
- Caffeine: How does it affect blood pressure?
- Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure?
- Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
- see all in Causes
Complications (1)
- Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
Treatments and drugs (5)
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- Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
- Diuretics: A cause of low potassium?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (9)
- Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
- Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
- High blood pressure and cold remedies: Which are safe?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (1)
- L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
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Question
Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
My blood pressure always measures higher at home than at my doctor's office. Am I doing something wrong?
Answer
from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Blood pressure that consistently measures higher outside the doctor's office is called masked hypertension. This may occur for several reasons. For example, a calm, quiet environment at your doctor's office may be less stressful than the environment at home — leading to a lower blood pressure reading at the doctor's office. Likewise, use of alcohol, caffeine or cigarettes at home can increase blood pressure.
Be sure that your home blood pressure monitor is accurate and that you're using correct technique. If you're not sure, ask your doctor. He or she may ask you to bring the home blood pressure monitor to the office. You may measure your blood pressure in one arm with the home monitor while your doctor measures your blood pressure in the other arm with the office equipment.
Still, some people consistently get different blood pressure readings outside the doctor's office — even when blood pressure is measured correctly and repeatedly. If your home blood pressure readings are accurate and consistently higher than those at your doctor's office, your doctor will likely manage your blood pressure based on the higher readings.
Next questionSleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?
- Home monitoring of high blood pressure. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=576. Accessed Aug. 14, 2008.
- Kaplan NM. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and white coat hypertension in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 14, 2008.
