Yes, doctors really do raise your blood pressure!

It’s not just an old wives tale — “white coat syndrome” really does exist. And it could result in you being given a risky medication you don’t need simply because of who took your blood pressure.

Although we’ve been hearing about this oddity for some time, researchers in the U.K. are said to be the first to actually confirm it. They analyzed data from 1,000 people who had their blood pressure taken by both doctors and nurses on the same visit.

They found readings taken by doctors to be “significantly higher” than those taken by nurses.

Your doctor can send your blood pressure up high enough to be over the threshold where drugs are prescribed, said the lead author of the study Dr. Christopher Clark. And such “unnecessary medication,” he added,” can lead to unwanted side effects.”

Clark hopes the study will change the way blood pressure is monitored. Like not having doctors take it when a “treatment depends on the outcome.”

Dr. Clark also said that being asked to monitor your blood pressure at home can also lead to anxiety. And guess what that leads to? High blood pressure!

And all that worry could be avoided by the simple act of just asking for a nurse to take your blood pressure in the first place.

This may be one of the few cases where it’s a good thing doctors don’t have more time to give us!

Sources:

“Intense itching from stopping Zyrtec (cetirizine) suddenly” April 24, 2014, People’s Pharmacy Alerts, peoplespharmacy.com

“Doctors really do raise your blood pressure” Robert Preidt, March 26, 2014, WebMD, webmd.com