Understanding Blood Pressure and Hypertension: Diagnostic Criteria and Classification Guidelines

Say Goodbye to the "Three Highs"

The "Three Highs" typically refer to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia. All three are related to modern civilization and are therefore also known as "civilization diseases." They are highly prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases, with a particularly high incidence in adults and an increasing trend towards affecting younger populations. In my country, the "Three Highs" are particularly known for their high prevalence, high risk, and high medical costs.

What is Blood Pressure: Blood pressure refers to the lateral pressure exerted per unit area on the walls of blood vessels as blood flows through them. Because blood vessels are divided into arteries, capillaries, and veins, there are arterial blood pressure, capillary blood pressure, and venous blood pressure. When the heart contracts, it squeezes blood into the blood vessels; the pressure generated and measured at this time is called "systolic pressure." After the heart has finished pumping blood, when it is not contracting (i.e., relaxed),

the pressure measured at this time... This is called "diastolic blood pressure." Systolic blood pressure is measured when blood vessels are squeezed, so its value is higher than diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure usually refers to the arterial blood pressure in the systemic circulation.

What is hypertension? Hypertension is defined as a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg or a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg, measured at rest without the use of antihypertensive medication. Hypertension is only suspected if blood pressure is measured at least twice at different times and both readings are elevated. One or two occasional spikes in blood pressure may be due to other factors and do not necessarily indicate hypertension unless the values ​​are abnormally high or hypertension-related complications such as angina have developed.

The World Health Organization classifies hypertension into different categories based on blood pressure values, as shown in the table below. When the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the same patient fall into different categories, the higher category should be used.