A reading this high is considered “hypertensive crisis.” If you get a blood pressure reading of 180/110 or higher more than once, seek medical treatment right away. Stage 2 high blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. Your blood pressure is considered high (stage 1) if it reads 130/80. The bottom number is the lower of the two and is called the diastolic pressure. The second, or bottom number, measures the force of blood in your arteries while your heart is relaxed between beats. Systolic pressure is the higher of the two numbers.
The first, or top number, is the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats, called the systolic pressure. High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – is a disease in which blood flows through blood vessels (arteries) at a higher than normal pressure.īlood pressure is measured with two numbers. What is high blood pressure?īlood pressure is defined as the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. However, because of the obesity epidemic, more and more children are also developing high blood pressure. Many people develop high blood pressure when they are in their late 30’s or early 40’s, and it occurs more frequently as people age. But only half of those people have their condition under control. Approximately 1 in 3, more than 100 million, American adults have high blood pressure.
