Introduction
High blood pressure is often defined in terms of
systolic and
diastolic blood pressures.
However, it is really any blood pressure that increases the risk of damage to your organs.
General Guidelines
Based on recommendations of the
JNC 7 report, the following definitions for high blood pressure have been proposed:
- Normal: Systolic BP < 120 and diastolic BP < 80
- Prehypertension: Systolic BP 120-139 or diastolic BP 80-89
- Hypertension:
- Stage 1: Systolic BP 140-159 or diastolic BP 90-99
- Stage 2: Systolic BP >= 160 or diastolic BP >= 100
If you qualify for two different stages, you should select the higher one. Also, you should realize that these definitions apply to adults not currently on blood pressure medications.
Special Conditions
For certain conditions, such as chronic kidney disease and congestive heart failure, the blood pressure should really be lower than 140/90.
