Blood Pressure Category Checker

The checker reads your two numbers and assigns a category using exact integer thresholds — there is no estimation or rounding of the cut-offs. When the systolic (upper) and diastolic (lower) numbers fall in different categories, the higher (worse) category wins. Both the ACC/AHA and the WHO/ESH guidelines specify this rule, and it is why an isolated high reading on just one of the two numbers still moves your category up.

Internally, each number is mapped to a severity level on its own scale, and your category is the maximum of the two. For example, under ACC/AHA a reading of 122/84 has a systolic in the “Elevated” band but a diastolic in the “Stage 1” band, so the result is Stage 1.

The two standards differ on where hypertension begins:

• ACC/AHA 2017 (US):Normal (<120/80), Elevated (120–129 and <80), Stage 1 (130–139 or 80–89), Stage 2 (≥140 or ≥90), and Hypertensive Crisis (>180 and/or >120).
• WHO / ESC-ESH 2023:Optimal (<120/80), Normal (120–129/80–84), High–normal (130–139/85–89), Grade 1 (140–159/90–99), Grade 2 (160–179/100–109), and Grade 3 (≥180/≥110). The WHO defines hypertension at 140/90, which is the line used in Sri Lankan primary care.

Two derived numbers come from the same reading. Mean Arterial Pressure is MAP = DBP + (SBP − DBP) / 3, which is algebraically identical to (SBP + 2·DBP) / 3 — the tool computes both forms and they agree to the mmHg, a built-in accuracy check. Pulse Pressure is simply SBP − DBP; the tool flags it as wide above 60 mmHg or narrow below 25 mmHg. Readings above 180 and/or 120 trigger an emergency banner, because a hypertensive crisis can need same-day care.

This is an information tool, not a diagnosis. Blood pressure swings with stress, caffeine, posture and time of day, so a single reading never confirms hypertension — that needs repeated measurements and a clinician. The thresholds were last cross-checked against the cited guidelines on 2026-06-22.

• Whelton PK et al. — 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for High Blood Pressure in Adults (Hypertension 2018)
• 2023 ESH Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension (J Hypertens 2023)
• WHO — Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults (2021)
• Unger T et al. — 2020 ISH Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines

Thresholds on this page were last cross-checked against the cited guidelines on 2026-06-22. This tool is for general information for adults and does not replace assessment by a doctor.