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Is 140 over 90 high blood pressure?

Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS

Yes. 140/90 is the level most guidelines call stage 2 hypertension in the US system, or grade 1 in the European one. One reading does not make the diagnosis, but it does start the conversation.

Measure properly for a week: seated, five quiet minutes first, arm supported at heart height, twice a day. Home averages above 135/85 usually confirm it.

Confirmed high blood pressure responds well to treatment, and treating it is one of the best-proven ways to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Do not sit on the number.

If you are buying a monitor

Get an upper-arm cuff, not a wrist one, from a validated brand like Omron. Expect $30 to $60. Check the cuff size fits your arm; a too-small cuff reads high.

See validated upper-arm monitors

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General answers only go so far. A doctor can look at your numbers and history and give you a written answer about you.

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