The new guidelines stem from the 2017 results of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which studied more than 9,000 adults ages 50 and older who had systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) of 130 mm Hg or higher and at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

'The goal now with the new guidelines is to help people address high blood pressure - and the problems that may accompany it like heart attack and stroke - much earlier.' Paul Conlin, an endocrinologist with Harvard-affiliated VA Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Instead, they are changed when sufficient new evidence suggests the old ones weren't accurate or relevant anymore,' says Dr. 'Blood pressure guidelines are not updated at regular intervals. That includes many men whose blood pressure had previously been considered healthy. This means 70% to 79% of men ages 55 and older are now classified as having hypertension. The previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older. In 2017, new guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and nine other health organizations lowered the numbers for the diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure) to 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and higher for all adults.

If you didn't have high blood pressure before, there's a good chance you do now. The definition for what is considered high blood pressure has been tightened.

Blood pressure reading chart pdf