Blood Pressure Reference Card
The AHA categories, and the rule about which number decides. Not a diagnosis - a record to take to a clinician.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/blood-pressure-category-calculator
AHA categories (mmHg)
- Normal
- under 120 AND under 80
- Elevated
- 120-129 AND under 80
- Stage 1
- 130-139 OR 80-89
- Stage 2
- 140+ OR 90+
- ⚠ Crisis
- over 180 and/or over 120
- ⚠ AND becomes OR
- at Stage 1 - one number is enough
- ⚠ Crisis = re-check in 5 min
- still high, call a doctor NOW
- ⚠ With chest pain or vision change
- emergency services, do not wait
- One reading is not a diagnosis
- a pattern over time is
Your readings
| Date | Time | Systolic | Diastolic | Pulse | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Measuring it properly
- Sat quietly, back supported, feet flat, for 5 minutes first
- No caffeine, exercise or smoking in the 30 minutes before
- Bladder emptied
- Arm supported on a table at heart height
- Cuff on bare skin, not over a sleeve
- Cuff the right size for the arm
- Not talking during the measurement
- Two or three readings a minute apart, averaged
- Same arm and same time of day each time
- Readings written down, not remembered
The bottom number can decide it alone
Normal and Elevated need BOTH numbers to qualify. Stage 1 and Stage 2 need only ONE. So 118 over 85 is Stage 1 - an ordinary top number and a bottom number that has crossed the line. Most people read the first number and stop, and this is what they miss.
Take this sheet, not the calculator
A clinician can do far more with a fortnight of readings taken properly at home than with one number from a machine in a waiting room. That is genuinely what the table above is for. Bring the dates, the times and the conditions - and note anything unusual beside a reading rather than discarding it.