Blood Pressure Categories Calculator

Systolic (upper)

Diastolic (lower)

Guideline

Result

Categorynormal
Reading128/82
Pulse pressure46
Mean arterial pressure97.3
Guideline usedESC/ESH
What mattersA category comes from the average of several readings taken at rest, never from a single one.

This result is informational only and is not professional advice.

Two scales, one monitor

Places a blood pressure reading into its category under both European and American guidelines, and works out pulse and mean arterial pressure.

The same reading can land in different categories depending on whose guideline you use. The American ACC/AHA moved the hypertension threshold down to 130/80 in 2017; the European ESC/ESH kept 140/90 and called the range in between high normal.

The difference is not academic: 135/85 is not hypertension on the European scale and is stage 1 on the American one. So this calculator shows both rather than choosing for you.

What this calculator shows

The category under the guideline you select
Pulse pressure — the gap between the two numbers
Mean arterial pressure, the figure clinical calculations use

What to keep in mind

A category comes from the average of several readings at rest, not from one reading and not straight after coffee or a flight of stairs.
This is a reference classification. Diagnosis rests with a clinician using ambulatory monitoring, risk factors and evidence of organ damage.

FAQs

Is 130 over 85 normal?

Under European guidance it is high normal; under American guidance it is stage 1 hypertension. Either way it is a reason to measure regularly and raise it with a doctor.

What is pulse pressure?

The gap between systolic and diastolic. Thirty to fifty mmHg is usual. Above 60 in older adults is associated with arterial stiffness.

How should I measure blood pressure?

Seated, after five minutes of rest, arm at heart level, cuff correctly sized. Take two or three readings a minute apart and average the last two.

Why is it different at the clinic?

White-coat effect commonly adds 10 to 20 mmHg in a consulting room. Diagnosis leans on home readings and ambulatory monitoring instead.

Worked example

A borderline reading

Input: 128/82 mmHg

Output: ESC/ESH: normal. ACC/AHA: stage 1 hypertension

Note: Exactly the case that makes both scales worth showing. Pulse pressure of 46 and a mean of 97.3 are unremarkable — pulse pressure above 60 is what draws attention.

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Blood Pressure Categories Calculator

Result

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