Item Brochure

JAMA. 2003;289:2560–2572.
KNOWING THE NUMBERS.
When taking your blood pressure, it’s always good to know
exactly where you stand. But first things first:
What do the numbers actually mean?
Systolic Pressure is the top number. It represents the
pressure as your heart contracts to pump blood to the body.
Diastolic Pressure is the bottom number. It represents the
pressure between beats, when your heart relaxes.
Systolic
Diastolic
NORMAL
< 120
< 80
Below this level is considered normal;
however, you should continuously strive to
reduce your blood pressure.
PRE-HYPERTENSION
121–139
81–89
This means you don’t have high
blood pressure yet, but your odds of
developing it may increase.
STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION
140–159
90–99
When reaching these levels you are
considered to have high blood pressure,
but it’s still manageable.
STAGE 2 HYPERTENSION
>160
>100
This stage of hypertension is
considered severe and may increase the
risk of heart attack or stroke.
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