New Hypertension Guidelines: JNC 7

Physicians and patients alike should pay more attention to controlling blood pressure at the newly defined "prehypertensive" stage.

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) incorporates evidence published since JNC 6 was issued in 1997. JNC 7 simplifies the classification of blood-pressure levels and outlines how to use this new classification scheme for hypertension prevention and management.

BP Scheme for Adults (in mm Hg)

Normal: systolic BP <120 and diastolic BP <80
Prehypertension: SBP 120-139 or DBP 80-89
Stage 1 hypertension: SBP 140-159 or DBP 90-99
Stage 2 hypertension: SBP ≥160 or DBP ≥100

The Essential Points of JNC 7:

For patients age 50 or older, elevated SBP is a stronger cardiovascular risk factor than elevated DBP.
Within the BP range of 115/75 mm Hg to 185/115 mm H…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD