white coat syndrome en · NOUN
Etymology
From white coat + syndrome.
Meanings
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(uncountable) Synonym of white coat hypertension (“hypertension exhibited by a patient only when in a clinical setting, presumably because of anxiety”).
While more than 8.5 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with hypertension, medical experts say millions are being misdiagnosed often as a result of "white coat" syndrome or waiting room nerves.
2011 February 22, Ben Quinn, “Blood pressure testing faces overhaul to reduce misdiagnosis”, in The Guardian: