Recent guidelines issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH) state that a healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 and blood pressures of 120/80 to 139/89 are termed prehypertension. These new cut points have increased the number of people who are now recognized as being at risk due to elevated blood pressure. It is now estimated that 60% of all adults (persons over the age of 18) have either prehypertension or hypertension, 31% and 29% respectively. Only 39% of the population is in the healthy blood pressure range. This makes high blood pressure the most common, serious health condition in the U.S.

Persons with prehypertension are more likely to be overweight and to develop diabetes, heart disease, and stroke than persons with a healthy blood pressure level. Blood pressure screening and lifestyle interventions to lower blood pressure are an urgent and necessary preventive approach to help stem this serious health condition.

Source: Greenlund KJ, et al. Prevalence of Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Factors in Persons with Prehypertension in the US, Archives of Internal Medicine 164:2113-18, 2004.