High blood pressure (BP), or hypertension, is defined by two levels by the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines:

• Normal blood pressure – Systolic <120 mmHg and diastolic <80 mmHg
• Elevated blood pressure – Systolic 120 to 129 mmHg and diastolic <80 mmHg

Hypertension:

• Stage 1 – Systolic 130 to 139 mmHg or diastolic 80 to 89 mmHg
• Stage 2 – Systolic at least 140 mmHg or diastolic at least 90 mmHg
• Isolated systolic hypertension is defined as a blood pressure ≥130 mmHg systolic and <80 mmHg diastolic, and isolated diastolic hypertension is defined as a blood pressure <130 mmHg systolic and ≥80 mmHg diastolic. Patients with a blood pressure ≥130 mmHg systolic and ≥80 mmHg diastolic are considered to have mixed systolic/diastolic hypertension
• European guidance on the definition of hypertension contrasts slightly with that of the ACC/AHA. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines define hypertension, using office-based blood pressure, as a systolic pressure ≥140 mmHg or diastolic pressure ≥90 mmHg.
• White coat hypertension— White coat hypertension is defined as blood pressure that is consistently elevated by office readings but does not meet diagnostic criteria for hypertension based upon out-of-office readings.
• Masked hypertension— Masked hypertension is defined as blood pressure that is consistently elevated by out-of-office measurements but does not meet the criteria for hypertension based upon office readings.

 

Reference:

Overview of hypertension in adults