Is High Blood Pressure Considered Heart Disease?

Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of your blood pressing against the walls of your arteries. When your blood pressure increases, your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your circulatory system. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition in which your blood pressure measurements are consistently too high. While high blood pressure itself is not considered to be heart disease, it can cause heart disease or other serious cardiovascular issues and be a major risk factor for having a heart attack if left uncontrolled. High blood pressure often can be a condition that you don’t even know you have. That’s why it’s so important to know your numbers and monitor them on a regular basis. When it comes to measuring blood pressure, here’s what the numbers mean:

  • Systolic pressure (the top number) measures pressure in your arteries during heartbeats.
  • Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) measures pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.

Blood pressure categories include:

  • Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg
  • Elevated: Top number (systolic) between 120-129 and bottom number (diastolic) less than 80
  • Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89
  • Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg
  • Hypertensive crisis: Top number over 180 and/or bottom number over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other symptoms, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage

Aside from high blood pressure, many other factors could be increasing your risk for developing heart disease. Take our free heart health assessment to learn your heart’s real age and what you can do now to reduce your risk of developing heart disease in the future.

Start My Assessment!
Mobile Header

Why Choose Us?

  • Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI by ACC Accreditation Services (American College of Cardiology)
  • Joint Commission Advanced Heart Failure Certification
  • Tennova Heart is known for its award winning Heart Failure Program, Heart Valve Center, Anticoagulation Clinic and comprehensive diagnostic and noninvasive cardiology services

Our Services Include:

  • Advanced diagnostic and imaging technology to find heart disease early, when it's most treatable
  • Open heart surgeries including coronary bypass and valve repair
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
  • Comprehensive heart failure care
  • Specialized treatment for heart rhythm disorders (AFib)
  • Heart and vascular rehabilitation that combines education, support and exercise therapy

Heart Healthy Resources

Heart Healthy Roadmap

A Woman’s Risk for Heart Disease is Different: Here’s What You Need to Know

Heart disease is a big issue in the United States for both men and women alike. But some risk factors are more unique to women.
Read more »

What Do Doctors Have To Say About Your Heart?

Is High Blood Pressure Considered Heart Disease?

Finding out you have high blood pressure can be worrisome if you aren’t sure what your numbers mean or what to do about them. Discover how high blood pressure affects your heart.
Read more »

Healthy Connections

How Does Smoking Affect Your Heart?

Smoking’s impact reaches far beyond your lungs, harming nearly every other organ in the body. Get the specifics on how smoking can influence your heart’s health.
Read more »

Journey to a Healthy Heart

Why Your Heart Wants You to Pay Attention to Your Cholesterol

Your liver makes cholesterol in your body, but you also get cholesterol from eating certain foods. Find out how the wrong kind of cholesterol can impact your heart.
Read more »

Start My Assessment