Blood Pressure Monitoring

Nearly one in every three American adults has high blood pressure. Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime and increases the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease. Blood pressure is expressed as a ratio (for example, 120/80) with the top number (known as the Systolic pressure which corresponds to the heart's pumping phase) over the bottom number (known as the Diastolic pressure which corresponds to the heart's relaxation phase between beats). The guidelines for blood pressure are:

Blood Pressure Stages	Systolic pressure	Diastolic pressure
Normal	less than 120	less than 80
Prehypertensive	120-139	80-89
Hypertensive - Stage 1	140-159	90-99
Hypertensive - Stage 2	160 or greater	100 or greater