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Quick Facts
- High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems.
- It’s important to have your blood pressure measured and to understand what your numbers mean.
What do your blood pressure numbers mean?
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can lead to serious health problems including heart attack or stroke. Measuring your blood pressure is the only way to know if you have it. Controlling high blood pressure can help prevent major health problems.
Blood Pressure Categories
| BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY | SYSTOLIC mm Hg (top/upper number) | and/or | DIASTOLIC mm Hg (bottom/lower number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NORMAL | LESS THAN 120 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| ELEVATED | 120 – 129 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure) | 130 – 139 | or | 80 – 89 |
| STAGE 2 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure) | 140 OR HIGHER | or | 90 OR HIGHER |
| SEVERE HYPERTENSION (If you don’t have symptoms*, call your healthcare professional.) | HIGHER THAN 180 | and/or | HIGHER THAN 120 |
| HYPERTENSIVE EMERGENCY (If you have any of these symptoms*, call 911.) | HIGHER THAN 180 | and/or | HIGHER THAN 120 |
*symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking
Controlling blood pressureIf your blood pressure is in the normal range, stick with heart-healthy habits such as following a balanced diet and getting regular exercise. If your blood pressure is elevated, stick with or adopt heart-healthy habits such as following a balanced diet and getting regular exercise. The goal is to prevent reaching hypertension Stage 1. In hypertension Stage 1, your healthcare professional should prescribe lifestyle changes. They may consider adding medication based on your risk of heart disease or stroke and should add medication if you have other conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and kidney disease. In hypertension Stage 2, your healthcare professional should prescribe blood pressure medication and lifestyle changes. In severe hypertension, if your blood pressure is higher than 180/120 mm Hg:
If the second reading is just as high, check for these symptoms:
If you do not have any of these symptoms or any other new and concerning symptoms, you likely have severe hypertension. You should contact your healthcare professional. Your healthcare professional may start or adjust blood pressure medication. In hypertensive emergency, call 911 if your blood pressure is higher than 180/120 mm Hg and you are experiencing symptoms that may include:
Your blood pressure numbers and what they meanYour blood pressure is recorded as two numbers:
Which number is more important?A higher systolic or diastolic reading may be used to diagnose high blood pressure. But the systolic blood pressure tells more about risk factors for heart disease for people over 50. As people get older, their systolic blood pressure usually goes up because:
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