High blood pressure in adults – hypertension: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood to your body. Hypertension is the medical term used to describe high blood pressure.Untreated high blood pressure can lead to many medical problems. These include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, eye problems, and other health issues.Blood pressure readings are given as two numbers. The top number is called systolic blood pressure. The bottom number is called diastolic blood pressure. For example, 120 over 80 (written as 120/80 mm Hg).One or both of these numbers can be too high. (Note: These numbers apply to people who are not taking medicines for blood pressure and who are not ill.)Normal blood pressure is when your blood pressure is lower than 120/80 mm Hg most of the time.High blood pressure (hypertension) is when one or both of your blood pressure readings are 130/80 mm Hg or higher most of the time.If the top blood pressure number is from 120 to 129 mm Hg, and t...