What Is Normal Blood Pressure at Each Age?
A common misconception is that normal blood pressure has a different target for every adult age. In current adult guidelines, the basic normal category is the same for adults: below 120/80 mmHg.
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Age Normal blood pressure
Children Depends on age, sex, and height; it isn’t one fixed number.
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NHLBI, NIH
Teens Generally assessed using age/sex/height criteria; adult thresholds are increasingly used from age 13.
18–39 <120/80 mmHg
40–59 <120/80 mmHg
60–69 <120/80 mmHg
70–79 <120/80 mmHg
80+ <120/80 mmHg is still classified as normal, although treatment targets may be individualized.
Adult blood-pressure categories
Normal: less than 120/80
Elevated: 120–129 and less than 80
Stage 1 hypertension: 130–139 or 80–89
Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or higher or 90 or higher
Severely high: over 180 and/or over 120; if accompanied by symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, vision changes, or difficulty speaking, seek emergency medical care.
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One reading doesn’t usually establish a diagnosis. Blood pressure varies with activity, stress, caffeine, medications, and measurement technique, so repeated properly taken readings are more useful.
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www.heart.org
If you give me your age and blood-pressure reading (for example, 145/85), I can tell you exactly what category it falls into.
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