What is the normal blood pressure for adults?

What is the normal blood pressure for adults? There is no single definite answer to this question but rather guidelines suggest normal ranges of blood pressure for different age groups.

Medical guidelines recommend these ranges and values above which treatment is needed. Here are the latest normal values in adult men and women:

The normal Blood pressure is somewhere between 120/75 mmHg and 129/84 mmHg. Readings between 130/85 and 139/89 are considered high normal.

Diagnosing Hypertension in adults: (latest guidelines untill August 2011 according to NICE)

Mild hypertension or stage 1 hypertension is when the clinic blood pressure is 140/90 or above. At this stage patients are eligible for treatment if they have other diseases such as diabetes or renal disease or have increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (assessed by the doctor).

Stage 2 is 160/100 or more and all patients at this stage should receive treatment.

Stage 3 is when systolic blood pressure is 180 mmHg or higher or diastolic is 110 mmHg or higher.

Note that it is normal for the values to be high during and after exercise. The target pressure is less than 140/90 mmHg or lower than 150/90 mmHg in people older than 80 years old. In people with diabetes the target value is less than 130/80.