Individuals older than 55 have a 90% lifetime risk for developing hypertension. A systolic BP of 120 mmHg or a diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mmHg should be considered prehypertensive and require health promoting lifestyle modifications.

Data for this table were compiled from the following sources:

Kozier, B, Erb, G, Berman, A, Snyder, SJ (eds.): Fundamentals of Nursing, ed. 7. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004, p. 485.

Potter, PA, and Perry, AG: Fundamentals of Nursing, ed. 5. Mosby, St Louis, MO, 2001, pp. 730–731.

Department of Health and Human Services, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, NIH Pub No. 03–5233 (electronic version). National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute Information Center, Bethesda, Md, May 2003 retrieved March 17, 2004 from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/express.pdf