A patient with blood pressure 135/82 mmHg would be categorized as?

A patient with blood pressure 135/82 mmHg would be categorized as?

• A. Hypertension Stage I
• B. Elevated BP
• C. Hypertension Stage II
• D. Hypertensive crisis

Answer: (A)

Blood pressure categories are defined by thresholds for systolic and diastolic values. In this case, the systolic is 135 and the diastolic is 82. A systolic reading of 130–139 or a diastolic reading of 80–89 places the measurement in Hypertension Stage I. Since either number falls into that range, the overall category is Stage I. It’s not elevated blood pressure (120–129 with diastolic <80), not Stage II (≥140 systolic or ≥90 diastolic), and not a hypertensive crisis (typically >180 systolic or >120 diastolic with symptoms).

Blood pressure categories are defined by thresholds for systolic and diastolic values. In this case, the systolic is 135 and the diastolic is 82. A systolic reading of 130–139 or a diastolic reading of 80–89 places the measurement in Hypertension Stage I. Since either number falls into that range, the overall category is Stage I. It’s not elevated blood pressure (120–129 with diastolic <80), not Stage II (≥140 systolic or ≥90 diastolic), and not a hypertensive crisis (typically >180 systolic or >120 diastolic with symptoms).