Masked hypertension is characterized by

• A. Normal clinic but elevated readings during daily activities.
• B. Elevated clinic BP only.
• C. Low blood pressure overall.
• D. Normal in all settings.

Answer: (C)

Masked hypertension occurs when blood pressure looks normal in the clinic, but is elevated during daily activities or at home. This means office readings don’t reveal the problem, yet ambulatory or home BP monitoring shows high levels, which carries cardiovascular risk similar to sustained hypertension. So the description that fits best is normal clinic readings with elevated readings outside the clinic. The other patterns don’t describe this scenario: elevated BP only in the clinic points to white coat hypertension, low BP overall isn’t hypertension, and normal readings in all settings indicate true normotension.