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Hypertension diagnosis — ABFM Board MCQ

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EasyCardiovascularHypertension diagnosisABFM Board

A 52-year-old man comes to clinic for a wellness visit. His office blood pressure is 158/96 mm Hg today and was 154/94 mm Hg at a pharmacy screening last week. He has no chest pain, dyspnea, or neurologic symptoms. Which of the following screening tests is indicated?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: A — Home or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Elevated office blood pressure should be confirmed with properly measured home or ambulatory readings when there is no hypertensive emergency. This helps confirm diagnosis and exclude white-coat hypertension.

Reference: ACC/AHA High Blood Pressure Guideline, 2025