Measurement of blood pressure

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular events and mortality (1-4). Hypertension occurs in 69% of individuals with first myocardial infarction (5), 77% of individuals with first stroke (5), 74% of individuals with heart failure (5), and 60% of individuals with peripheral arterial disease (6). Hypertension has been diagnosed if the systolic blood pressure is 140 mmHg or higher or if the diastolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg or higher (1-4). However, on the basis of data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) (7,8) and a meta-analysis of prospective studies showing the impact of baseline prehypertension on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in the general population (9), this author considers hypertension to be either a systolic blood pressure of 130 mmHg or higher or a diastolic blood pressure of 80 mmHg or higher.