Blood pressure is the force of blood pressing against the walls of the arteries. Every heartbeat pushes blood into them, so the pressure rises and falls with each beat — and high blood pressure, when that force stays too high for too long, rarely announces itself.
Two numbers
A blood pressure reading has two parts:
- Systolic pressure — the higher number, measured while the heart is beating and pumping blood out.
- Diastolic pressure — the lower number, measured while the heart rests between beats.
The systolic number is normally written first, or on top. A reading of 120/80 means a systolic pressure of 120 and a diastolic pressure of 80.
How it is diagnosed
Because high blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, the only way to know whether you have it is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. A health care provider uses a cuff together with a gauge, a stethoscope or an electronic sensor, and takes two or more readings at separate visits before diagnosing it.
For adults, readings fall into these categories:
| Category | Systolic | Diastolic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | less than 120 | and | less than 80 |
| Elevated | 120–129 | and | less than 80 |
| High blood pressure, stage 1 | 130–139 | or | 80–89 |
| High blood pressure, stage 2 | 140 or higher | or | 90 or higher |
| Hypertensive crisis | higher than 180 | and | higher than 120 |
A hypertensive crisis is dangerously high blood pressure: get medical care right away.
Children and teenagers are judged differently. Their provider compares the reading with what is normal for other young people of the same age, height and sex.
Two main types
- Primary (essential) high blood pressure is the most common type. For most people who have it, it builds up gradually with age.
- Secondary high blood pressure is caused by another medical condition or by certain medicines. It usually improves once the condition is treated or the medicine is stopped.
Why it matters
Blood pressure that stays high makes the heart pump harder and work overtime. Over time that can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure.
Treatment
Treatment is planned together with your provider, and combines two things:
- Heart-healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating well and exercising. For some people these changes alone work very well.
- Medicine, when lifestyle changes do not bring blood pressure down or keep it under control. There are several kinds of blood pressure medicine, and some people need more than one.
If another condition or a medicine is behind the high blood pressure, treating that condition or stopping the medicine may bring it down.
Sources
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine): "High Blood Pressure," with information from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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