The adult blood pressure categories from the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline beside the lines drawn by WHO and the NHS, where 140/100 and 90/60 sit against them, the CDC's steps for measuring at home, when a very high reading with symptoms needs emergency care, and Egypt's free screening initiative.
For adults, the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline (published 14 August 2025) labels blood pressure normal when the top number is under 120 and the bottom number under 80 mmHg, elevated at 120 to 129 with the bottom number still under 80, and hypertension from 130 on the top or 80 on the bottom. WHO (25 September 2025) puts its hypertension line at 140/90 mmHg or higher. The range your doctor uses for you, and your doctor, govern.
AHA/ACC stands for the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology; the NHS is England’s National Health Service; the CDC is the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This page sets the lines out in plain words and lists the steps for measuring at home. It does not read your result, tell you it is normal, or diagnose anything. The top number (systolic) is the pressure when the heart beats, the bottom number (diastolic) the pressure between beats (WHO, 25 September 2025).
In short:
- Sources draw the line in different places: the AHA/ACC 2025 table starts hypertension at 130 on the top or 80 on the bottom, while WHO (25 September 2025) says 140/90 or higher on two different days. Ask which line your report or doctor uses.
- One reading is not a diagnosis: the AHA/ACC (2025) bases its categories on the average of at least two careful readings on at least two occasions.
- At home, the NHS (page reviewed 25 November 2025) usually counts 135/85 or higher as high, a lower line than the clinic’s 140/90.
- With a very high reading (WHO, 25 September 2025: usually 180/120 or higher) and symptoms, go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now.
Last checked: 24 October 2026, on the pages listed under Sources. Guidelines and pages change, so confirm with your doctor.
What is normal blood pressure for an adult?
| Category (adults) | Top number (systolic), mmHg | Joined by | Bottom number (diastolic), mmHg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Under 120 | and | Under 80 |
| Elevated | 120 to 129 | and | Under 80 |
| Hypertension, stage 1 | 130 to 139 | or | 80 to 89 |
| Hypertension, stage 2 | 140 or more | or | 90 or more |
AHA/ACC 2025 guideline, Table 4, adults, published 14 August 2025, read 24 October 2026. Pregnancy is left out, and if the two numbers fall in two categories, the higher applies. The range printed on your report, and your doctor, govern.
That table sets no lower limit for “normal”, and the guideline defines its four levels on blood pressure measured in a health care setting (office blood pressure). Other published lines differ:
| Source | The line it draws | Date |
|---|---|---|
| WHO, hypertension fact sheet | Hypertension: top number 140 or more and/or bottom number 90 or more, measured on two different days | 25 September 2025 |
| NHS, blood pressure test | Usually high: 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional, 135/85 or higher when checked at home | Page reviewed 25 November 2025 |
Does normal blood pressure change with age?
The AHA/ACC table (2025) gives one set of cut-offs for all adults, not rows by age or sex, and covers adults only: ask a child’s doctor which chart applies. What changes with age is the population average: the guideline says systolic levels tend to rise steadily to the end of life, while diastolic levels rise until the fifth decade of life, plateau for a decade, then decline.
Is 140/100 a normal blood pressure?
In the tables above, 140/100 is in neither the normal nor the elevated row: the top number is at the AHA/ACC’s stage 2 line, the bottom number is above its 90 line, and both are at or above WHO’s 140/90. That says where a number falls in published tables, not what your own reading means. WHO (25 September 2025) says an evaluation by a health professional is important for assessing risk, so note the date, the time and how you measured, and take it to your doctor.
Is 90/60 normal? What counts as low?
The AHA/ACC table has no lower limit. The NHS (page reviewed 11 July 2023) defines low blood pressure as less than 90/60, so 90/60 sits on that line, not under it. It says low blood pressure does not always cause symptoms, and to get it checked if you keep getting dizziness, feeling sick, blurred vision, weakness, confusion or fainting. If symptoms are sudden or severe, go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now.
How do I measure blood pressure at home?
The CDC (page dated 13 October 2026) gives these steps for each reading:
- Do not eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before.
- Empty your bladder first.
- Sit in a comfortable chair with your back supported for at least 5 minutes before the reading.
- Keep both feet flat on the ground and your legs uncrossed.
- Rest your arm on a table so the cuff is at chest height.
- Put the cuff on your bare upper arm so that it fits snugly.
- Do not talk while it measures.
The CDC adds that if you smoked, drank alcohol or caffeine, or exercised in the previous 30 minutes, your reading might be higher. It says to take at least two readings 1 or 2 minutes apart, at the same time each day, and to keep a log. The NHS (page reviewed 25 November 2025) says this is usually done morning and evening, and that your doctor or nurse says for how many days.
The AHA/ACC (2025) says the device should be validated with a rigorous standardised protocol and the cuff should be the right size, so ask your doctor or pharmacist about yours. It gives this guide to how home readings match clinic ones:
| Clinic reading, mmHg | Matching home reading, mmHg |
|---|---|
| 120/80 | 120/80 |
| 130/80 | 130/80 |
| 140/90 | 135/85 |
| 160/100 | 145/90 |
AHA/ACC 2025 guideline, Table 7 (office values and the matching home-monitoring values), read 24 October 2026. The guideline gives these as a guide to read with caution, because the data come mainly from European, Australian and Asian populations.
When is high blood pressure an emergency?
WHO (25 September 2025) says people with very high blood pressure, usually 180/120 or higher, can have severe headaches, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision or other vision changes, anxiety, confusion, buzzing in the ears, nosebleeds or an abnormal heart rhythm. It says anyone with those symptoms and a high reading should seek care immediately. Go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now.
What should I ask my doctor about my blood pressure?
- Which line do you use for me, and is it for clinic or home readings?
- How many days, and how many times a day, should I measure at home, and is my monitor validated with the right cuff size?
- Do I need other tests? For a new diagnosis of hypertension, the AHA/ACC (2025, Table 6) lists routine blood and urine tests and an ECG, among them a lipid profile, creatinine with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), fasting blood glucose or HbA1c, and thyroid-stimulating hormone.
- If I am having blood tests, which need fasting, and what should I ask about the results?
- When is my next check?
For question 4, which blood tests need fasting sets them side by side, and questions to ask your doctor about your lab results covers the report. For question 5, write down what your doctor says about how often to check and when to come back:
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In Egypt: where is blood pressure measured, and which range applies?
According to a Ministry of Health and Population statement of 7 May 2026, carried on the State Information Service page (updated 9 May 2026), the services of Egypt’s presidential initiative for early detection of chronic disease include blood pressure measurement. The statement says the initiative runs through 3,601 primary care units in every governorate and targets citizens over 40, plus people from 18 with a medical history or risk factors linked to chronic disease. It describes the services as free. The page gives the initiative’s inquiry hotline, 15335, which is not an emergency number (read 24 October 2026).
We searched on 24 October 2026 for an Egyptian Ministry page printing blood pressure categories or home-measuring steps and found none, which does not prove none exists. The SIS page says the initiative follows guidelines prepared by a joint committee of the Ministry and the World Health Organization but prints no blood pressure figures, so this page uses the AHA/ACC, WHO, NHS and CDC. Ask the unit or clinic you use which range it applies.
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Frequently asked questions
What is normal blood pressure?
For adults, the AHA/ACC (2025) labels a top number under 120 with a bottom number under 80 normal; its hypertension starts at 130 on the top or 80 on the bottom, and in WHO’s definition (25 September 2025) at 140/90. The range printed on your report, and your doctor, govern.
Is 140/100 normal?
It is in neither the normal nor the elevated row of the AHA/ACC table, and both numbers are at or above WHO’s 140/90. What it means for you is for your doctor to say.
Medigize is a non-diagnostic navigation tool. This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.
Sources
- Writing Committee of the AHA/ACC guideline (chair Daniel W. Jones): 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, Hypertension 2025;82(10):e212–e316 (doi 10.1161/HYP.0000000000000249), published 14 August 2025 (the page lists three corrections, the latest dated 20 May 2026; none touches Tables 4, 6 or 7), read 24 October 2026
- World Health Organization: Hypertension (fact sheet), 25 September 2025, read 24 October 2026
- NHS (England): Blood pressure test, page last reviewed 25 November 2025, read 24 October 2026
- NHS (England): Low blood pressure (hypotension), page last reviewed 11 July 2023 (its next review was due 11 July 2026), read 24 October 2026
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Measuring Your Blood Pressure, page dated 13 October 2026, read 24 October 2026
- Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS): early detection of kidney disease and chronic-disease screening initiative, carrying a Ministry of Health and Population statement of 7 May 2026, page updated 9 May 2026, read 24 October 2026
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