Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association divide blood pressure into four general categories. Show
Elevated blood pressure is considered a category, not an actual health condition like high blood pressure (hypertension). But elevated blood pressure tends to get worse over time unless it's properly managed. That's why it's important to regularly check and control your blood pressure. Healthy lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, can help prevent and control high blood pressure (hypertension). Uncontrolled, elevated blood pressure and hypertension increase the risks of heart attacks and strokes. Some research says long-term elevated blood pressure can lead to changes in memory, language, thinking or judgment (cognitive decline). SymptomsElevated blood pressure doesn't cause symptoms. The only way to detect it is to have regular blood pressure checks. Have your blood pressure measured when you visit your health care provider. You can also check it at home with a home blood pressure monitoring device. When to see a doctorA child's blood pressure should be checked during routine well-check appointments starting at age 3. If the child has high blood pressure, a measurement should be taken at every follow-up appointment. Adults age 18 and older should have a blood pressure check at least every two years. You or your child might need more-frequent checks if you have elevated blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data.To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Blood pressure is a measure of the force blood exudes on the arterial wall during the heart’s contraction or pumping phase (know as systole) and relaxation phase (known as diastole). Systolic pressure is the higher of the two values. Blood pressure relates to circulation of blood through the arteries and the arterial resistance to blood flow. Pressure is usually measured noninvasively with a sphygmomanometer. In this manner, a cuff around the upper arm is inflated to a pressure higher than arterial pressure in order to stop blood flow through the brachial artery in the arm. As the cuff pressure is slowly released, blood begins to flow again through the artery and is associated with a thumping sound. By listening through a stethoscope, the first thumping sound of blood flowing through the artery is recorded as systolic pressure. Once the flow is completely restored, the thumping sounds disappear and at the final muffling sounds are recorded as diastolic pressure. Pressure readings are presented as systolic/diastolic and values up to 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of Mercury) are considered normal. Readings from 120/80 to 139/89 are considered pre-hypertensive, and readings of 140/90 and higher are considered hypertensive. The diagnosis of hypertension is not based on an isolated elevated reading. It is made when two separate and independent readings yield values ≥140/90. As yet, there are no defined “lower limits” of blood pressure. What factors affect blood pressure?Systolic Diastolic Healthy <120 <80 Pre-hypertensive 120-139 80-89 Hypertensive 140> 90> Systolic pressure is affected by a variety of factors. Factors such as anxiety, caffeine consumption, and performing resistance and cardiovascular exercises, cause immediate, temporary increases in systolic pressure. During cardiovascular exercise, for example, systolic pressure can increase to values close to and over 200 with higher levels of effort. Diastolic pressure, on the other hand, is a relatively stable value during exercise and under daily activity. It does not fluctuate significantly throughout the day, or in response to outside influences. During cardiovascular exercise, this value may even decrease. Long-term factors that may lead to hypertension include smoking, hardening of the arteries (called Arteriosclerosis), having excess body weight, eating large amounts of salt, taking certain medications, and being exposed to chronic stress. People who have high blood pressure are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease which includes stroke and heart failure, kidney disease, and all-cause mortality. High blood pressure means that the cardiovascular system has to work much harder in order to circulate blood throughout the body. For people who are mildly hypertensive, with readings around 140/90, the most effective means of controlling blood pressure is lifestyle modification. Regular cardiovascular exercise, eating a low-salt, low-fat diet, and maintaining a healthy body weight are ways that one can optimize blood pressure values. Blood pressure values are actually reduced for up to three hours after completing a cardiovascular exercise session! For individuals with more severe hypertension well above 140/90, medication may be prescribed. There are several types of medications that can be taken. For example, beta-blockers act to reduce the heart’s need for oxygen by decreasing resting heart rate and the heart’s contractility. Calcium channel blockers act to dilate blood vessels, thus decreasing peripheral resistance. The effect of high blood pressure (hypertension) has several well-established negative health implications. These include but are not limited to, Atherosclerosis and heart disease. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of cholesterol on the walls of arteries, which may eventually result in the blocking of blood flow. When this occurs in the arteries of the heart, it is called coronary artery disease and can result in a heart attack. From a performance stand point, hypertension is more of a health concern. Systolic blood pressure can reach dangerous levels and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines recommend to consider stopping exercise when blood pressure reaches 250/115 and/or a 10 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure with increased workload occurs. Which of the following would be considered hypertensive?Elevated blood pressure is systolic of 120 to 129 and diastolic less than 80. Stage 1 high blood pressure is when systolic is 130 to 139 or diastolic is 80 to 89. Stage 2 high blood pressure is when systolic is 140 or higher or diastolic is 90 or higher.
What does 120 80 mean?When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic pressure. Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually the systolic number comes before or above the diastolic number. For example, 120/80 means a systolic of 120 and a diastolic of 80.
Which one of the following resting blood pressure readings would be considered hypertensive assuming it was the average of multiple readings?High blood pressure (hypertension) is when one or both of your blood pressure readings are higher than 130/80 mm Hg most of the time.
Which of the following would be considered hypertension quizlet?Hypertensive patients typically have a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 and a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90.
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