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High blood pressure (hypertension)

Summary

High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, so regular measurement is the only way to know. CDC (citing the 2025 ACC/AHA guideline) defines it as readings consistently at or above 130/80 mm Hg; treatment is lifestyle change and, if needed, medicine.

General information, not medical advice. See a clinician about your own situation; in an emergency call 911 (US).

Facts

• id: F1 claim: Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls; the top (systolic) number is pressure during a heartbeat, the bottom (diastolic) between beats. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F2 claim: Normal is below 120/80 mm Hg; hypertension is consistently 130/80 or higher; "elevated" is systolic 120–129 with diastolic under 80. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S2] license: CC BY 4.0 note: Thresholds come from the 2025 ACC/AHA guideline as presented by CDC; MedlinePlus summary page does not state numeric cutoffs.
• id: F3 claim: It usually has no warning signs; checking blood pressure is the only way to find out. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F4 claim: Untreated, it raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F5 claim: Treatment includes heart-healthy lifestyle changes (activity, not smoking, diet with less sodium and alcohol, healthy weight, stress management) and medicine when changes are not enough. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance and details beyond this summary where: https://medlineplus.gov/highbloodpressure.html; https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/index.html access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/high-blood-pressure.md.