Cardiovascular Atlas
About
Menu

Blood pressure

How hard the blood pushes on the arteries and other blood vessels. Oscillometric blood pressure devices estimate a systolic value and a diastolic value.

Also called BP

  • Biomarker
  • In 2 atlases

Overview

Technical summary

MeSH descriptor D001794, Blood Pressure. Systolic and diastolic pressure are the two values that oscillometric devices estimate. Diagnostic thresholds and targets are not part of this identity. Each belongs in a cited claim about a named guideline edition.

What is measured

Measure
How hard the blood pushes on the arteries and other blood vessels. Oscillometric devices estimate it as a systolic value and a diastolic value.
Assay context
Not reported

Interpretation

No interpretation claims are published.

Claims and evidence

Context Adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension (2024 ESC guideline)

Recipient
Adult
Population
Adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Age limits and pregnancy handling are not stated in the sources read.
Care setting
Not stated in the sources read
Geography
Not stated in the sources read (guideline of the European Society of Cardiology; applicability by country not verified)
Life stage
Adult
Follow-up
Not applicable (guideline context)
Eligibility: 1 inclusion criterion; exclusion criteria not stated
Included
  • Adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension
Excluded
None stated

  • Description Guidance Certainty not assessed

    The European Society of Cardiology's summary of its 2024 guideline introduces a blood pressure category called elevated blood pressure: an office systolic pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic pressure of 70 to 89 mmHg. Hypertension remains an office pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. The reason the summary gives is that drugs that lower blood pressure can cut cardiovascular risk even for people who fall short of the usual definition of hypertension.

    Source problem. A cited source is corrected. Check the sources before relying on this claim.

    Applies to Adult
    • Adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Age limits and pregnancy handling are not stated in the sources read.
    • Not stated in the sources read
    • Not stated in the sources read (guideline of the European Society of Cardiology; applicability by country not verified)
    • Adult
    Follow-up Not applicable (guideline context)
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    Limitations
    The source is the ESC's own condensed Essential Messages and its guideline page, not the guideline itself, so the table wording, class of recommendation and level of evidence were not read. Two later corrections are listed in PubMed, their text was not read, and the Essential Messages was produced before both, so whether the corrections change the category and thresholds given here is unknown. These are the ESC's office-measurement categories; home and ambulatory thresholds were not read. Any other guideline states its own categories and thresholds. A claim about another guideline is recorded separately and is not reconciled with this one, so this claim does not say which is right or that the categories are interchangeable. Pregnancy handling is not stated in the sources read.
    Last checked
    Not recorded
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (4)

    1. Supports 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension

      Guideline · Oxford University Press (OUP) · Edition Issued by the European Society of Cardiology and published in European Heart Journal 45(38):3912-4018. The publisher field is the journal publisher as Crossref names it. Publisher summary only. The version of record was not read: doi.org and academic.oup.com returned HTTP 403 (a Cloudflare challenge), PubMed holds no abstract for it, and Europe PMC lists it as subscription required. The facts come from the ESC Essential Messages PDF for this guideline, found through the ESC Essential messages page, and from the ESC guideline page. Two later corrections are listed in PubMed (Eur Heart J 2025 Apr 7;46(14):1300, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf031, and 2025 Dec 1;46(45):4949, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf659). Their text was not read, and the Essential Messages was produced before both. · Published 2024-08-30 · doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae178

      Locator
      Section 1 Key messages, message 4
      How it applies
      ESC Essential Messages PDF for the 2024 guideline.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Corrected
      Snapshot hash
      1002525ded65298879e25304fbc88d4af91631b7dd4977df3ec2e67f504ffd98
      Reuse basis
      Hashes only and nothing committed. The ESC states that its guidelines are protected by copyright, are for personal and educational use with no commercial use, and that it reserves the right to license use of its guidelines for training generative AI (EU Directive 2019/790, Article 4 section 3). Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the ESC's recommendations in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no ESC wording.

    2. Background 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension

      Guideline · Oxford University Press (OUP) · Edition Issued by the European Society of Cardiology and published in European Heart Journal 45(38):3912-4018. The publisher field is the journal publisher as Crossref names it. Publisher summary only. The version of record was not read: doi.org and academic.oup.com returned HTTP 403 (a Cloudflare challenge), PubMed holds no abstract for it, and Europe PMC lists it as subscription required. The facts come from the ESC Essential Messages PDF for this guideline, found through the ESC Essential messages page, and from the ESC guideline page. Two later corrections are listed in PubMed (Eur Heart J 2025 Apr 7;46(14):1300, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf031, and 2025 Dec 1;46(45):4949, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf659). Their text was not read, and the Essential Messages was produced before both. · Published 2024-08-30 · doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae178

      Locator
      Introduction: new simplified classification of blood pressure
      How it applies
      The ESC page confirms a new classification without giving values.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Corrected
      Snapshot hash
      06bcd4ebdc3eb0f68f2fd1e2c0fa308e22cc89ced3a50dc40fff1096e4500d30
      Reuse basis
      Hashes only and nothing committed. The ESC states that its guidelines are protected by copyright, are for personal and educational use with no commercial use, and that it reserves the right to license use of its guidelines for training generative AI (EU Directive 2019/790, Article 4 section 3). Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the ESC's recommendations in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no ESC wording.

    3. Background 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension

      Guideline · Oxford University Press (OUP) · Edition Issued by the European Society of Cardiology and published in European Heart Journal 45(38):3912-4018. The publisher field is the journal publisher as Crossref names it. Publisher summary only. The version of record was not read: doi.org and academic.oup.com returned HTTP 403 (a Cloudflare challenge), PubMed holds no abstract for it, and Europe PMC lists it as subscription required. The facts come from the ESC Essential Messages PDF for this guideline, found through the ESC Essential messages page, and from the ESC guideline page. Two later corrections are listed in PubMed (Eur Heart J 2025 Apr 7;46(14):1300, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf031, and 2025 Dec 1;46(45):4949, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf659). Their text was not read, and the Essential Messages was produced before both. · Published 2024-08-30 · doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae178

      Locator
      Corrigendum link
      How it applies
      The ESC page links a corrigendum dated 11 February 2025; its text was not read.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Corrected
      Snapshot hash
      06bcd4ebdc3eb0f68f2fd1e2c0fa308e22cc89ced3a50dc40fff1096e4500d30
      Reuse basis
      Hashes only and nothing committed. The ESC states that its guidelines are protected by copyright, are for personal and educational use with no commercial use, and that it reserves the right to license use of its guidelines for training generative AI (EU Directive 2019/790, Article 4 section 3). Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the ESC's recommendations in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no ESC wording.

    4. Background 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension

      Guideline · Oxford University Press (OUP) · Edition Issued by the European Society of Cardiology and published in European Heart Journal 45(38):3912-4018. The publisher field is the journal publisher as Crossref names it. Publisher summary only. The version of record was not read: doi.org and academic.oup.com returned HTTP 403 (a Cloudflare challenge), PubMed holds no abstract for it, and Europe PMC lists it as subscription required. The facts come from the ESC Essential Messages PDF for this guideline, found through the ESC Essential messages page, and from the ESC guideline page. Two later corrections are listed in PubMed (Eur Heart J 2025 Apr 7;46(14):1300, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf031, and 2025 Dec 1;46(45):4949, doi 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf659). Their text was not read, and the Essential Messages was produced before both. · Published 2024-08-30 · doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae178

      Locator
      CommentsCorrectionsList, two ErratumIn entries
      How it applies
      Shows that two corrections exist. What they change is unknown.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Corrected
      Snapshot hash
      f9afb12c7dd4e0a09ed8cba2fbbc89cf98fe1655ea1bfe1bb04012b061740281
      Reuse basis
      Hashes only and nothing committed. The ESC states that its guidelines are protected by copyright, are for personal and educational use with no commercial use, and that it reserves the right to license use of its guidelines for training generative AI (EU Directive 2019/790, Article 4 section 3). Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the ESC's recommendations in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no ESC wording.

Context Adults with suspected hypertension, clinic blood pressure 140/90 to 180/120 mmHg (NICE NG136 1.2)

Recipient
Adult
Population
Adults aged 18 and over who are assessed for hypertension, with or without type 2 diabetes. Recommendations 1.2.3 and 1.2.4 concern a clinic blood pressure between 140/90 mmHg and 180/120 mmHg. Recommendation 1.2.8 concerns a clinic reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher followed by ambulatory or home monitoring.
Care setting
Clinic measurement first, then ambulatory or home blood pressure monitoring (NICE recommendations 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.8)
Geography
England, from clause 6 of the NICE terms and conditions, which presents the information as support for people in England who make decisions about funding care. Clause 8 adds that NICE does not write its content as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. The NG136 page itself states no jurisdiction.
Life stage
Adult (aged 18 and over)
Follow-up
Not applicable (recommendation context)
Eligibility: 3 inclusion criteria; 2 exclusion criteria
Included
  • Adult aged 18 and over (NICE NG136 Overview chapter)
  • Clinic blood pressure between 140/90 mmHg and 180/120 mmHg (recommendations 1.2.3 and 1.2.4)
  • With or without type 2 diabetes (introductory text to the NG136 recommendations)
Excluded
  • Pregnancy is outside this atlas context. NICE has a separate guideline on hypertension in pregnancy, and the fetched diagnosis recommendations state no separate pregnancy exclusion.
  • A clinic blood pressure of 180/120 mmHg or higher is handled in the NG136 referral section, which this context does not cover.

  • Description Guidance Certainty not assessed

    NICE guideline NG136 confirms a diagnosis of hypertension in adults whose clinic blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher and whose ambulatory daytime average or home average is 135/85 mmHg or higher.

    Applies to Adult
    • Adults aged 18 and over who are assessed for hypertension, with or without type 2 diabetes. Recommendations 1.2.3 and 1.2.4 concern a clinic blood pressure between 140/90 mmHg and 180/120 mmHg. Recommendation 1.2.8 concerns a clinic reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher followed by ambulatory or home monitoring.
    • Clinic measurement first, then ambulatory or home blood pressure monitoring (NICE recommendations 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.8)
    • England, from clause 6 of the NICE terms and conditions, which presents the information as support for people in England who make decisions about funding care. Clause 8 adds that NICE does not write its content as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. The NG136 page itself states no jurisdiction.
    • Adult (aged 18 and over)
    Follow-up Not applicable (recommendation context)
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    Limitations
    This states the confirmation rule of one guideline edition. It is not the atlas definition of hypertension, and it says nothing about when to start treatment. NICE gives no strength label for this recommendation, and its wording is a rule rather than an offer or a suggestion. The recommendation carries the year tag 2019. The NG136 page states no jurisdiction. NICE's terms present the information as support for people in England who make decisions about funding care, and say the content is not written as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. Other guidelines set other thresholds, which are recorded in their own claims.
    Last checked
    2026-10-11
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (6)

    1. Supports Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NICE guideline NG136), Recommendations chapter

      Guideline · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The Recommendations chapter as shown on 2026-10-09 and fetched again on 2026-10-11 with identical bytes. The page header gives 26 February 2026 as the last update. This atlas cites six recommendations from it, each with the version tag the page shows: 1.1.3 is tagged [2004]; 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.8 are tagged [2019]; 1.4.5 is tagged [2004, amended 2019]; 1.4.20 is tagged [2019, amended 2022]. Which edition of each recommendation these tags point to was not checked. · Published 2019-08-28 · nice: NG136

      Locator
      Recommendation 1.2.8, first part
      How it applies
      The clinic reading condition.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      2026-02-26
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      68ce72f3487ffa4715f92ddfa8aaf6e093f5aecd3598cd59a0ab58f74ce86f28
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. NICE's terms and conditions (source cardio:nice-terms-and-conditions, fetched 2026-10-11) make NICE content available for reuse in the United Kingdom only. Outside the United Kingdom, apart from private use, study or one's own research, reuse needs NICE's prior written agreement, which may carry a licence and a fee, and use for artificial intelligence needs approval and a licensing arrangement. The terms also say NICE does not write its content as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. The page bytes are not committed.

    2. Supports Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NICE guideline NG136), Recommendations chapter

      Guideline · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The Recommendations chapter as shown on 2026-10-09 and fetched again on 2026-10-11 with identical bytes. The page header gives 26 February 2026 as the last update. This atlas cites six recommendations from it, each with the version tag the page shows: 1.1.3 is tagged [2004]; 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.8 are tagged [2019]; 1.4.5 is tagged [2004, amended 2019]; 1.4.20 is tagged [2019, amended 2022]. Which edition of each recommendation these tags point to was not checked. · Published 2019-08-28 · nice: NG136

      Locator
      Recommendation 1.2.8, second part and version tag
      How it applies
      The ambulatory daytime and home averages, and the version tag.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      2026-02-26
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      68ce72f3487ffa4715f92ddfa8aaf6e093f5aecd3598cd59a0ab58f74ce86f28
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. NICE's terms and conditions (source cardio:nice-terms-and-conditions, fetched 2026-10-11) make NICE content available for reuse in the United Kingdom only. Outside the United Kingdom, apart from private use, study or one's own research, reuse needs NICE's prior written agreement, which may carry a licence and a fee, and use for artificial intelligence needs approval and a licensing arrangement. The terms also say NICE does not write its content as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. The page bytes are not committed.

    3. Background Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NICE guideline NG136), Recommendations chapter

      Guideline · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The Recommendations chapter as shown on 2026-10-09 and fetched again on 2026-10-11 with identical bytes. The page header gives 26 February 2026 as the last update. This atlas cites six recommendations from it, each with the version tag the page shows: 1.1.3 is tagged [2004]; 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.8 are tagged [2019]; 1.4.5 is tagged [2004, amended 2019]; 1.4.20 is tagged [2019, amended 2022]. Which edition of each recommendation these tags point to was not checked. · Published 2019-08-28 · nice: NG136

      Locator
      Recommendations, introductory text, paragraph 3
      How it applies
      Says the diagnosing recommendations apply to all adults.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      2026-02-26
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      68ce72f3487ffa4715f92ddfa8aaf6e093f5aecd3598cd59a0ab58f74ce86f28
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. NICE's terms and conditions (source cardio:nice-terms-and-conditions, fetched 2026-10-11) make NICE content available for reuse in the United Kingdom only. Outside the United Kingdom, apart from private use, study or one's own research, reuse needs NICE's prior written agreement, which may carry a licence and a fee, and use for artificial intelligence needs approval and a licensing arrangement. The terms also say NICE does not write its content as a basis for decisions outside the United Kingdom. The page bytes are not committed.

    4. Background Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NICE guideline NG136), Update information chapter

      Guideline · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The chapter as fetched on 2026-10-11. The page header gives a last update of 26 February 2026. Its first entry is the February 2026 addition of recommendation 1.2.11.

      Locator
      Update information, August 2019 entry
      How it applies
      Explains that recommendations marked with the 2019 tag were made after a 2019 evidence review.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      2026-02-26
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      97c0bd4a7ddc90a0a531cbf45225d6d254709245dc317cbc7c7f1be2b88e9108
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. NICE content may be reused outside the United Kingdom only for private use, study or one's own research unless NICE agrees in writing (see cardio:nice-terms-and-conditions). The page bytes are not committed.

    5. Background NICE terms and conditions, including the Notice of Rights

      Webpage · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The page as fetched on 2026-10-11. It shows no version date; its footer carries the year 2026.

      Locator
      Clause 6, sentence 1
      How it applies
      Source of the England audience read for this claim.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      663d4a4be632810ae88513ec6386193a7b373159e5e2ecd4ec61419e2e4c408a
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. This page sets the terms under which NICE content may be reused; its wording is kept in research/cluster-b/quotes.tsv as internal evidence and is not published. The page bytes are not committed.

    6. Background NICE terms and conditions, including the Notice of Rights

      Webpage · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) · Edition The page as fetched on 2026-10-11. It shows no version date; its footer carries the year 2026.

      Locator
      Clause 8
      How it applies
      Source of the United Kingdom reliance limit read for this claim.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      663d4a4be632810ae88513ec6386193a7b373159e5e2ecd4ec61419e2e4c408a
      Reuse basis
      Public text is cite_only (Ben's decision of 2026-10-13 (medical-atlas-core issue 2)): public pages state the facts in the atlas's own words, with a citation and a link, and use no NICE wording. This page sets the terms under which NICE content may be reused; its wording is kept in research/cluster-b/quotes.tsv as internal evidence and is not published. The page bytes are not committed.

Record details

Record id
core:blood-pressure
Content hash
dcfaa8114a28816a8019250a33a898b56501f86e238fc4dd40cf18687b22e52f