Here, a patient has her blood pressure checked by a registered nurse in Plainfield, Vt. in June 2013. Here, a patient has her blood pressure checked by a registered nurse in Plainfield, Vt. in June 2013. Photo: Toby Talbot/Associated PressNearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure, according to sweeping new guidelines released Monday that lower the threshold for who is considered at risk of complications from the condition. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, has traditionally been defined as 140/90 and above for measures of systolic blood and diastolic blood pressure. The systolic number measures pressure in the blood vessels when the heart beats, while diastolic measures blood pressure between beats.

Source: Wall Street Journal November 13, 2017 22:12 UTC