Cardiovascular Institute and Center for Cardiovascular Health

Hypertension

Classification of Hypertension by Its Severity

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Every four years the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, which is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, issues a series of guidelines on how hypertension should be evaluated and treated. The last (and fifth) report (JNC V) was published in 1993, and is followed by the sixth (JNC VI), which was released on November 6, 1997.

Hypertension is defined as a systolic pressure above 140 mm Hg and a diastolic above 90. The classification of blood pressure for adults aged 18 and older shown in the Table is intended to give an indication of the degree of risk associated with different levels of blood pressure.

Category Systolic Diastolic
Optimal Below 120 Below 80
Normal Below 130 Below 85
High-normal 130-139 85-89
Hypertension    
  Stage 1 140-149 90-99
  Stage 2 160-179 100-109
  Stage 3 Above 180 Above 110

The full text of the report can be found on the NHLBI Web site.
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