Hypertension itself is not scary, what is scary is the series of consequences it brings, such as brain hemorrhage (stroke), heart failure, heart enlargement, etc. Of course this does not develop overnight, but it gives us a hint that we must keep our blood pressure within the normal range. With blood pressure under control, those serious consequences can be avoided. So what is normal blood pressure? What would diagnose hypertension? According to the World Health Organization’s criteria, adults over the age of 18, regardless of gender, can be diagnosed with hypertension if their systolic blood pressure is >= 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure is >= 90 mmHg, according to Tang Yida of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing. But what needs to be noted is the measurement of blood pressure. It must be high when measured just after running; it is also high when measured just after arguing with your girlfriend; it is not low even after playing mahjong all night; it is also high after being extremely fast on the highway – whether you are caught by the police or not. But these do not explain the problem, is the extreme state of the body’s reaction. The measurement must be taken after 5 minutes of rest, and there must be more than two different times when the measurement is high (at least 1-2 minutes in between, and if the difference between the two times is large, then the measurement needs to be repeated), in order to indicate high blood pressure. The state of measurement is there, then what is the method of measurement? You have to say, what is so difficult about this? There are electronic blood pressure monitors on the street. Well, even if the self-measurement of blood pressure, but also pay attention to the method and choice of equipment. First of all, rest for more than 5 minutes, recommend the use of international standard upper arm electronic blood pressure monitor, upper arm as far as possible and the heart at the same level, pay attention to choose the right width of the upper arm cuff (generally 10-13cm), and then measure. The reference value for the upper limit of normal is 135/85 mmHg (systolic/diastolic). However, for people with a tendency to mental anxiety it is still recommended to measure it in a clinic. In general, clinics still use a mercury column type blood pressure monitor, which requires a doctor or nurse to use a stethoscope to determine. The following is also a few words, so that you can have a plan in mind when you go to the hospital. Generally, the person being measured is asked to be calm for about 5 minutes. Sometimes when you go to a hospital office, the doctor does not take the blood pressure right away, but talks to you for a while, which actually means waiting for you to calm down before taking the measurement. The subject’s upper arm is exposed or the thin shirt left on the upper arm is loose enough, and the upper arm is at the same level as the heart (either sitting or lying down). A cuff of appropriate width (generally 12-13 cm, adjusted according to the thickness of the arm) is tied tightly around the upper arm, and its lower edge should be about 2 cm from the bend of the elbow, and the stethoscope is heard at the brachial artery. Inflate rapidly until the arterial sound disappears and then raise 30 mmHg, then deflate slowly, and the first sound heard (Koch’s sound Ⅰ time phase) disappears (Koch’s sound V time phase) is the systolic and diastolic pressure respectively; deflate rapidly to zero point immediately after hearing the disappeared sound. Everything is about a degree, hypertension is no exception, according to the level it is also divided into mild, moderate and severe. Please see the following table: Category Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) Normal blood pressure <120<80 Normal high 120-139 80-89 Hypertension >=140 >=90 Grade 1 hypertension (mild) 140-159 90-99 Grade 2 hypertension (moderate) 160-179 100-109 Grade 3 hypertension (severe) >=180 >=110 Simple Systolic hypertension >=140 <90 If the patient's systolic and diastolic blood pressure are in different classes, the higher classification prevails. This classification by blood pressure level is somewhat limited because treatment options are not only based on the level of blood pressure, but also on whether and how many other risk factors are combined. These risk factors include smoking or not, diabetes or not, high blood lipids or not, family history, obesity or not, etc. Well, the basic situation is finally finished, so let's talk about the treatment without medication in the next article.