Blood Pressure Category Checker

Introduction

A blood pressure reading gives two numbers, and most people look only at the higher one. Each should actually be graded on its own, with the worse of the two becoming the overall category: a reading of 138/92 belongs in grade 1 because of the diastolic value. This page shows both lookups and then the combined result.

The example is a morning reading of 138/86 mmHg at age 45. Systolic falls in the 120-139 high-normal band and diastolic in the 80-89 high-normal band, so the overall grade is high-normal; pulse pressure is 52 mmHg and mean arterial pressure is 103.3 mmHg. Change diastolic to 92 and both the diastolic and overall grades move to grade 1.

Mean arterial pressure is systolic plus twice diastolic over three, weighting diastole more because that phase lasts longer in the cardiac cycle.

Key features

• Two readings: Systolic and diastolic are graded separately, then the stricter grade becomes the overall one.
• Pulse pressure: The gap between the two readings is reported next to the grade.
• Mean pressure: Mean arterial pressure is estimated from diastolic plus a third of the pulse pressure, in its own row.
• Age gate: Under 18 is rejected because the adult grading table does not apply.
• Senior note: Age 65 and over adds a short note. It does not replace the grade itself.
• mmHg only: Values are read as mmHg. Entering kPa would put the reading far off the table.

How to use it

1. Systolic: Enter the upper reading taken after sitting quietly, in mmHg. Convert it first if the report is in kPa.
2. Diastolic: Add the lower reading from that same measurement; do not pair readings taken on different days.
3. Age: Give your age in years. Under 18 is refused because the adult bands do not apply.
4. Reading time: Choose when the reading was taken. It goes into the breakdown and leaves the grade unchanged.
5. Read the result: Press Calculate and start with the overall grade, then check the two separate grades. The stricter one is used.

Things to keep in mind

• Age limit: Under 18 is blocked because the adult table does not apply.
• Two separate grades: Systolic and diastolic are graded separately and the stricter one wins.
• Units: Only mmHg is accepted.
• Age 65 and over: Age 65 and over adds a senior note without changing the grade.
• Not a diagnosis: Grading is a comparison, not a diagnosis.

Pulse pressure is the simple gap between the two readings, while mean arterial pressure weights the diastolic value twice because diastole lasts longer in the cardiac cycle. Both sit beside the grades rather than replacing them. If you change only the diastolic number, watch the overall grade move while the systolic grade stays put; that is the quickest way to see which reading is driving the result.

A reading of 138/86 and one of 138/92 differ by six points on the lower number, yet they land in different overall categories. That is why both grade rows are printed instead of only the final one. The guidance text reacts to the age you entered, so a 70-year-old sees a short senior note while the grade itself stays on the same adult table.