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The aim of this study was to establish reference values for 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in a Danish population stratified for gender and age in the decades from 20 to 79 years of age. A sample of 352 persons, 179 men and 173 women randomly selected from the local community register, age 20-79 years underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. For men age < 50 daytime ambulatory blood pressure (median) was 125/79 mmHg and night time was 106/65 mmHg, for women the respective pressures were 113/77 mmHg and 97/64 mmHg. For men age > or = 50 daytime ambulatory blood pressure was 133/83 mmHg and night time was 124/86 mmHg, for women the respective pressures were 122/83 mmHg and 105/65 mmHg. Presently, we can only relate cardiovascular risk to clinic blood pressure. Therefore we have calculated corresponding ambulatory blood pressure values to WHO's upper limit 160/90 mmHg for normal blood pressure in the clinic and found 154/87 mmHg for daytime and 134/74 mmHg at night. For a clinic pressure of 95 mmHg the corresponding daytime value was 91 mmHg, for 100 mmHg it was 95 mmHg.

This review article examines the essential literature concerning "white coat" hypertension. It is stated that "white coat" hypertension is present in approximately 20% of patients with diagnosed mild to moderate hypertension. It is concluded that the pathophysiology of "white coat" hypertension is incompletely investigated; that the prognosis for untreated "white coat" hypertension seems fair; medical treatment being scarcely required. It is concluded further that more accurate diagnosis of mild to moderate hypertension, including the use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, will reduce the overall expenses by approximately million Danish crowns annually (approximately 2,000,000 pounds).

Takeda TM 2420 is an automatic ambulant device for measuring blood pressure which functions by auscultation of the Korokoff sounds. During static conditions, the apparatus was investigated by means of a double stetoscope and a connecting branch with the Hawksley random zero manometer. Where 69 persons were concerned (ages 13-89 years, systolic blood pressures 85-212 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 44-110 mmHg) a difference in the systolic blood pressure of 1.5 +/- 9.2 mm Hg were found (average +/- standard deviation) and where the diastolic blood pressure was concerned 2.8 +/- 6.3 mm Hg. Statistical comparison with the Hawksley manometer on the contralateral arm in 51 volunteers produced corresponding results. In 24-hour monitoring of 80 persons, useful results were obtained in 74. The proportion of erroneous measurements was acceptable but the apparatus was unsuitable for exercise testing on an ergometer bicycle. The quality of the cuff, the connecting tubing, the carrying strap and computer programmel should be improved but the apparatus was otherwise found to be useful for daily clinical use.

A case of lap seat belt injury with damage to the small intestine is presented. The lap seat belt induces a sense of false security. This type of seat belt should be forbidden and should be replaced by the better three-point-restraint. Patients with seat belt lesions should be admitted to hospital.