Defining high blood pressure and hypertension

Q: Is there any difference between high blood pressure and hypertension?

A: Your blood pressure can be high but still not be in a range where medication is needed. This is known as pre-hypertension. With pre-hypertension, your blood pressure is not normal but you are not yet hypertensive. When blood pressure is high enough for medical treatment, it is known as hypertension. For more details about the difference, go to an article discussing the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7).

For a shorter version showing treatment guidelines, click here.