Understand High Blood Pressure Readings
There are two numbers how to calculate high blood pressure or hypertension readings:
- Systolic Pressure: The first or top number of high blood pressure or hypertension reading is called systolic pressure. It shows the pressure running in your arteries when heart beats and pumps out the blood.
- Diastolic Pressure: The second or bottom number of high blood pressure or hypertension reading is called diastolic pressure. It indicates that reading or pressure in your arteries which is created between the beats of your heart.
There are five categories that explain how to calculate high blood pressure or hypertension readings for adults. These include:
- Healthy: The healthy high blood pressure or hypertension reading is less than 120/80 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg).
- Elevated: If the systolic number is between 120 & 129 mm Hg and the diastolic number is less than 80 mm Hg, known as elevated blood pressure. Medical consultants or Doctors often do not treat this kind of blood pressure with medication and may ask you to change your lifestyle to relieve elevated blood pressure instead of medication.
- Stage-1 Hypertension: If the systolic number is between 130 & 139 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is between 80 & 89 mm Hg, may be called as Stage-1 hypertension.
- Stage- 2 Hypertension: If the systolic number is 140 mm Hg or above, or the diastolic number is 90 mm Hg or above, known as Stage-2 hypertension.
- Hypertensive Crisis: When the systolic number is over 180 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is over 120 mm Hg may cause hypertensive crisis condition. If the Blood pressure is running in this range then urgent medical attention or consultation is required. When blood pressure is in this range or hypertensive condition is created due to these symptoms like chest pain, headache, shortness of breath, or visual changes then quick medical attention or care is needed on emergency basis.
A blood pressure reading must be taken with a healthy pressure cuff for accurate reading. An ill-fitting cuff can give wrong or variable readings. You should consult with your doctor or medical specialist for accurate blood pressure readings of yourself and your child to monitor the blood pressure because blood pressure readings may vary for children and teenagers.