2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines | Circulation
Age-based Pediatric Blood Pressure Reference Charts
Please Note: The calculators on this page have been updated and replaced by newer versions.The new calculators can be found here: Pediatric Blood Pressure - Updated
Why monitor blood pressure (BP)?Hypertension (high blood pressure) is an important health issue in children, because of its association with obesity. High blood pressure is considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and high BP in childhood has been linked to high BP in adulthood.
This calculator can help to determine whether a child has a healthy blood pressure for his/her height, age and gender. In boys and girls, the normal range of blood pressure varies based on height percentile and age. This calculator automatically adjusts for differences in height, age and gender, calculating a child's height percentile along with blood pressure percentile. The normal blood pressure range, while steadily increasing with age, will shift based on the child's height. 
The BP reference data include the 50th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles for age and height for both boys and girls. So the graphs on this page show the upper half of the blood pressure range found in children. Normal BP is defined as systolic and diastolic blood pressures that are below the 90th percentile. The systolic number represents BP in blood vessels when a heart beats. The diastolic number is the pressure in blood vessels between beats, when the heart is at rest.
How do we evaluate blood pressureBlood pressure is not always consistent, and can vary even when the child is resting. Thus, elevated BP readings should be repeated and confirmed over several visits before a child is identified as having hypertension. The most precise measure of a child's BP is an average of multiple measurements taken over several weeks (or even months) by a health professional.
A common approach is to obtain 3 assessments from different days to more reliably measure blood pressure.
BP-for-age status categories and their related percentile ranges are shown in the following table:
Blood Pressure for Age - Status Categories A Systolic and/or Diastolic BP Percentile of: Suggests that a child has: Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile Hypertension 90th to less than the 95th percentile Prehypertension BP greater than 120/80 mm Hg Prehypertension (Elevated) ** Readings for Children with BP exceeding 120/80 mm Hg may indicate Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, so putting those BP readings into the context of percentiles can help a health care provider determine appropriate treatment.
To be accurately diagnosed with hypertension, a child must have systolic or diastolic blood pressure equal to or greater than the 95th percentile on three separate occasions.
You can read more about blood pressure on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site: CDC.
Data SourceThe tools provided here are based on publicly available data from the following source:
The Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Individual results, when compared to other children, can be affected by many factors. Thus, this software should not be used for medical diagnostic or treatment purposes. Additionally, the authors and their affiliated institutions are not liable for any damages to users or third parties arising from the use of this software.
This software is protected under international copyright law. Unauthorized duplication or distribution is a violation of copyright. Entering this section of the web site implies acceptance of the conditions stated above.
Supporting PublicationsNational High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. The fourth report on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2004; 114(2 Suppl 4th Report): 555-76.
Rosner B, Cook N, Portman R, Daniels S, Falkner B. Determination of blood pressure percentiles in normal-weight children: some methodological issues. Am J Epidemiol 2008; 167(6): 653-66.
Is Your Blood Pressure Reading Really Accurate? A New Study Raises Questions
Most of us have had our blood pressure checked at some point — a cuff is wrapped around the upper arm, it squeezes tightly, and then slowly deflates as the doctor listens with a stethoscope.
It's quick, easy, and has been used for decades. But a new study suggests that this common method may not be giving the full picture, especially for people whose blood pressure falls in the middle range.
Researchers have found that the traditional cuff method might not always measure blood pressure accurately. This is a concern because blood pressure readings are one of the main tools doctors use to decide if someone is at risk for heart disease, stroke, or other serious health problems.
To get to the bottom of this issue, scientists looked at data from more than 2,500 people, drawing on studies that go all the way back to the 1950s. They compared the results from the usual arm-cuff method with a more precise approach called invasive blood pressure measurement.
This second method involves inserting a small tube into an artery to measure the pressure directly — usually in the aorta, which is the large artery near the heart.
Why does this matter? Because the blood pressure in your arm isn't always the same as the pressure in your aorta — and that's the pressure your heart, brain, and other organs actually feel.
The study found that the difference between the two could be as much as 25 mmHg, which is significant. A number that far off could mean a person is misdiagnosed or not getting the treatment they really need.
The researchers found that the cuff method works fairly well at the extremes. For people with low blood pressure (below 120/80 mmHg) or very high blood pressure (above 160/100 mmHg), the readings from the cuff and the invasive method were similar.
But things got less clear in the middle range — the area where many people fall. For people with systolic readings between 120 and 159, and diastolic readings between 80 and 99, the cuff method was only accurate about 50% of the time. That means half the time, doctors might be getting a misleading reading.
This doesn't mean the cuff method is useless — far from it. It's still a simple and helpful way to monitor blood pressure and spot dangerous levels. And we know from many other studies that treating high blood pressure, even based on cuff readings, can save lives by preventing heart attacks and strokes.
But this new research shows we may need better tools — especially for people with borderline or mid-range blood pressure. A more accurate reading could help doctors decide when to start medication, change a treatment plan, or investigate other health issues.
In the meantime, it's still important to monitor your blood pressure regularly and keep it in a healthy range. Lifestyle choices like regular exercise, cutting back on salt, eating more fruits and vegetables, and managing stress all help. Some studies also suggest that early time-restricted eating, like finishing dinner earlier in the evening, could help lower blood pressure naturally.
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and it's an important reminder that while modern medicine has made great progress, there's always room to improve how we measure and manage health.
So next time you have your blood pressure checked, remember — that quick arm squeeze might not tell the whole story, especially if your numbers fall somewhere in the middle. Stay informed, talk to your doctor, and keep up with the latest research to take the best care of your heart and your health.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about blood pressure drug that may increase risk of sudden cardiac arrest, and these teas could help reduce high blood pressure.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about nutrient that could strongly lower high blood pressure, and results showing this novel antioxidant may help reverse blood vessels aging by 20 years.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
Hypertension News
Feb. 12, 2025 — South Asian adults in the United Kingdom may face high blood pressure-related heart risks earlier in life, while East Asian adults see risks rise in later years, according to a new ...
Sep. 26, 2024 — The findings could open the door to better ways to treat high blood ...
Sep. 12, 2024 — Researchers have developed a groundbreaking smartphone app that measures blood pressure using a smartphone's built-in sensors, eliminating the need for traditional cuffs. This technology can ...
Sep. 5, 2024 — Over-the-counter blood pressure measuring devices offer a simple, affordable way for people to track hypertension at home, but the standard arm-size ranges for these devices won't appropriately ...
Aug. 14, 2024 — People 60 and older with untreated high blood pressure may have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to both people who have been or are being treated for high blood pressure as ...
Aug. 6, 2024 — Doctors recommend making fruits and vegetables a foundational part of the treatment of patients with hypertension. Diets high in fruits and vegetables are found to lower blood pressure, reduce ...
Aug. 1, 2024 — High blood pressure affects about 45% of U.S. Adults. In the 1970s, only about 50% of patients were aware of their hypertension. Today, 54% are aware of their high blood pressure, 40% are actively ...
Aug. 1, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a link between high blood pressure and tellurium, a contaminant found in various plant-based foods. The study highlights the importance of closely and consistently ...
July 31, 2024 — Having high blood pressure, specifically high diastolic blood pressure, was linked to a slightly higher odds of ever having migraine in female participants, according to a new study. Diastolic ...
July 23, 2024 — Nearly 40 million adults in the U.S. Have sleep apnea, and more than 30 million of them use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping. However, the machines tend to be ...
July 23, 2024 — Years of high systolic blood pressure are linked to a greater risk for the two most common types of stroke. The results suggest that early diagnosis and sustained control of high blood pressure over ...
July 19, 2024 — When it comes to community hypertension interventions, a new study found that pharmacists and community health workers had the best success in lowering blood pressure. These findings support the idea ...
July 15, 2024 — According to a new study, both 30-year risk for cardiovascular disease in addition to 10-year risk may be considered in making decisions about when to initiate high blood pressure ...
June 26, 2024 — A study evaluated a cuffless monitor that uses optical sensors to record blood pressure continually and efficiently, without disruption to the ...
June 17, 2024 — The number of individuals in the U.S. Who had chronic hypertension or chronic high blood pressure during pregnancy doubled between 2008 and ...
June 6, 2024 — People with high blood pressure have a higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, but a new study suggests that engaging in vigorous physical activity more than once a week can lower ...
June 5, 2024 — Adolescents with elevated blood pressure and arterial stiffness may experience poorer cognitive functions, according to a recent study. Young people with higher blood pressure performed worse, ...
May 15, 2024 — New research finds a link between common medications and life-threatening ...
May 2, 2024 — Blood vessels in the lungs aren't like the others in the body. This difference becomes clear in pulmonary hypertension, in which only the lungs' blood vessels stiffen progressively, leading ...
Apr. 30, 2024 — Researchers have discovered over a hundred new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci, that appear to influence a person's blood pressure. In total, over 2,000 independent ...
Comments
Post a Comment