CHECKUP SIGHT OF DOCS MAY SPIKE BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Reports

A study of the ``white coat effect'' - the idea that patients' nervousness at seeing a doctor increases blood pressure readings - found the phenomenon was not only real, but was so significant that doctors were better off basing decisions on readings taken by nurses or by patients themselves.

The study compared blood pressure readings taken by physicians in three medical practices with readings taken in a research clinic, the ``ambulatory pressure'' readings taken by a machine that monitors blood pressure during daily activities and with repeated measurements by nurses and by the patients themselves at home.

The researchers, from the University of Southampton, England, found that readings by the ambulatory machines, nurses and even by the patients at home were, in general, lower than the readings taken by doctors.

Dr. Daniel W. Jones of the University of Mississippi Medical School, who serves on an American Heart Association panel on hypertension, said the main message of the article was that doctors should be careful about making treatment decisions for hypertension.

EARLY SCANS USEFUL: A study by a doctor at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles found that CT scans at an early age can detect gender-based risk factors for common adult diseases, including osteoporosis, type II diabetes and hypertension.

Dr. Vicente Gilsanz used CT scans to measure fat, muscle and bone in 62 boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. Researchers were able to detect factors such as low bone density, a precursor to osteoporosis, and high visceral fat, which can lead to cardiovascular disease. With early detection, good diet and exercise habits could reduce the risk of developing these conditions.

Gilsanz says his findings may lead to imaging as a preventive tool in addition to its current use as a diagnostic tool.