• What do blood pressure numbers indicate? Blood pressure is often written as two numbers. The top (systolic) number represents the pressure while the heart is beating. The bottom (diastolic) number represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

• High blood pressure for adults is defined as a systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher.

• Normal blood pressure is a systolic blood pressure less than 120 and a diastolic blood pressure less than 80.
   
• Prehypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120–139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80–89 mmHg. Persons with prehypertension are at increased risk to progress to hypertension.
   
• Among people with high blood pressure, 31.6% don't even know they have it.

• High blood pressure is easily detectable and usually controllable with lifestyle modifications such as increasing physical activity or reducing dietary salt intake, with or without medications.

• The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7) recommends that adults have their blood pressure checked regularly.

Statistics from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics as published by the American Heart Association, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2005 Update. Dallas, TX: AHA, 2004. http://www.americanheart.org.*