Many people in the UK have a blood pressure that is above the ideal levels.  

However, high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is usually only diagnosed if your blood pressure is consistently higher than 140/90. If the systolic blood pressure (the upper number) alone is high, that is still regarded as high blood pressure. 

If your blood pressure is high on the first measurement, it should be checked again a few minutes later. It is also important to make sure that the blood pressure is the same in both of your arms.  

Checking your blood pressure is high over time 

Blood pressure can change throughout the day because of how we are feeling, so if you’re feeling stressed, it could be higher. 

If you have a high reading, you may be asked to take some readings over a period of 24 hours, to see if it stays high during that whole time. This can be done using either a home blood pressure monitor (HBPM) or wearing a 24-hour monitor. This test is called 24-hour or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). High blood pressure is diagnosed on HBPM or ABPM if the blood pressure is higher than 135/85. 

If your blood pressure is measured by..	It is high if it is MORE THAN….
Clinic / GP blood pressure	140/90
ABPM or HBPM	135/85

What symptoms does high blood pressure cause? 

Generally, high blood pressure does not cause any symptoms, so most people with high blood pressure don’t know they have it. Occasionally, if the blood pressure is very high, you may notice: 

• Severe headaches 
• Blurred vision 
• Dizziness 
• Feeling sick and vomiting

What causes high blood pressure? 

For most people, high blood pressure is not due to a single cause. It is often related to a number of risk factors, especially diet and lifestyle. Being overweight, eating too much salt, not doing enough physical activity, drinking too much alcohol and smoking can all increase blood pressure. Your genes, ethnicity and age will also have an effect. 

Occasionally, high blood pressure is due to another medical problem, such as kidney disease. In this case, treating the underlying problem may bring the blood pressure down. 

What problems does high blood pressure cause?

High blood pressure puts a strain on blood vessel walls. In the long term, this can lead to: 

• Heart attacks 
• Heart failure 
• Mini-strokes (also known as transient ischaemic attacks or “TIA”s) 
• Strokes (also known as cerebrovascular events or “CVE”s) 
• Blockage of the arteries to the legs (also known as peripheral vascular disease or “PVD”) 
• Kidney disease and kidney failure 
• Dementia 

All of these are more likely if you have other health problems, such as diabetes or kidney disease, making it crucial to make sure that you do all you can to reduce your blood pressure.