Blood Pressure Calculator
Find your blood pressure category based on American Heart Association guidelines.
Assumptions used in this calculation
- Single reading: Categorization is based on the reading entered, not an average of multiple readings as clinical guidelines recommend.American Heart Association blood pressure categories (2017 guideline)
About this calculator
A blood pressure reading of two numbers, systolic over diastolic, doesn't mean much without knowing which category it falls into, and the American Heart Association's thresholds involve multiple overlapping ranges across five categories that aren't easy to remember offhand. This calculator takes your systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) readings and classifies them against AHA guideline thresholds, returning Normal, Elevated, Hypertension Stage 1, Hypertension Stage 2, or Hypertensive Crisis. Because the AHA classification actually takes whichever number puts you in the higher category, a normal systolic paired with an elevated diastolic still counts as elevated, working this out by eye from two separate range charts is easy to get wrong. This tool categorizes a single reading only; blood pressure naturally varies throughout the day and clinical guidelines recommend averaging multiple readings, so use this as an educational screening step and consult a healthcare provider for an actual diagnosis, especially for any reading in the hypertensive crisis range.
Worked example
120/80 mmHg reading
Result: Elevated
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