Do You Really Have High Blood Pressure?

US News and World Report reports:

If you've been prescribed a blood pressure medication based on a single high number at your doctor's office, you may want to ask if you really need it. That blood pressure reading might be misleading, according to an influential panel of government experts.

In its draft recommendation, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that a hypertension diagnosis made at a clinic or doctor's office should be verified by a series of readings taken as you go about your day. Here's why ambulatory monitoring -- done away from a medical setting -- gives a truer picture of your blood pressure.

Just a reminder.