PariwellBlood pressure chart for older adults: what the numbers mean
A simple blood pressure chart, what a reading like 140/90 means, why your parent's target is set by their doctor, and which readings need urgent help.
A blood pressure reading has two numbers, written like 140/90. The top number (systolic) is the pressure when the heart beats. The bottom number (diastolic) is the pressure between beats. Both are measured in mmHg.
Blood pressure chart
These are the categories used by the American Heart Association for adults. They are a guide to the numbers, not a diagnosis.
| What it's called | Top number | Bottom number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | below 120 | and | below 80 |
| Elevated | 120 to 129 | and | below 80 |
| High, stage 1 | 130 to 139 | or | 80 to 89 |
| High, stage 2 | 140 or higher | or | 90 or higher |
| Very high (crisis) | higher than 180 | and/or | higher than 120 |
In India, as in the World Health Organization's definition, doctors usually diagnose high blood pressure when readings are 140/90 or higher on two different days.
What's different for older parents
- The top number tends to rise with age, as blood vessels get stiffer. Many older adults have a high top number with a normal bottom number.
- The target is personal. Your parent's doctor decides what to aim for, based on their age, other illnesses and how they feel on treatment. For many older adults the aim is below 140/90, for some it is lower, and for frail people the doctor may accept a little higher to avoid dizziness and falls.
- Too low is also a problem. Readings below about 90/60, or dizziness when standing up, can mean the dose is too strong. Tell the doctor; don't change the medicine on your own.
One reading is not the whole story
BP changes through the day, with stress, pain, salt, sleep and the time since the last dose. That's why doctors look at many home readings over days and weeks. A weekly summary of the morning and evening readings is far more useful than one worrying number.
Pariwell lets you enter the target your parent's doctor set. Each reading your parent sends on WhatsApp is compared with it, and the weekly or monthly report shows how often it was above target.
Readings that need help
For everything in between, keep measuring the right way (see how to check blood pressure at home) and share the readings with the doctor at the next visit, or sooner if they stay high.