Is 178/158 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?

178/158 Blood Pressure

Is 178/158 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?

There are two parts or two separate numbers referred to as blood pressure: Systolic/Diastolic. If the blood pressure is 178/158 (178 over 158), it means that the systolic pressure is 178 and the diastolic pressure is 158.

178/158 blood pressure can also be read as 178/158 mm Hg, or 178/158 millimeters of mercury. The 178 mm Hg Systolic refers to the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats, and the 158 mm Hg Diastolic is the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.

When determining if 178/158 is a good blood pressure, we looked at the American Heart Association's blood pressure chart below.

Normal Blood Pressure
Systolic: Less than 120
Diastolic: Less than 80

Prehypertension Blood Pressure
Systolic: From 120 to 139
Diastolic: From 80 to 89

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1
Systolic: From 140 to 159
Diastolic: From 90 to 99

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2
Systolic: 160 or higher
Diastolic: 100 or higher

Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed)
Systolic: Higher than 180
Diastolic: Higher than 110

For 178/158 to be good, both numbers must fit into the "normal" category above. Otherwise, it will fall into other categories of High Blood Pressure.

Systolic reading of 178 is in the High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2 range. Diastolic reading of 158 is in the Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed) range.

Therefore, 178/158 is not good blood pressure. (Hypertensive Crisis - Emergency care needed).

The illustration below gives a visual representation of the blood pressure 178/158 so you can better understand what it means and where it falls on the blood pressure chart.

178/158 Blood Pressure Illustration

When looking at the 178/158 BP illustration above, remember that both the Systolic pressure (blue pin) and the Diastolic pressure (purple pin) need to be in the "green zone" for 178/158 to be good and normal. As you can see, that is not the case here.

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Note: Your blood pressure reading may have been recorded wrong and our information above may not apply to you. The information on this page does not apply to young people or people with special conditions. This page is simply informational. We think you should see a doctor for ALL medical health questions and concerns.

Is 178/159 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?
Here is the next Blood Pressure (BP) reading on our list that we have interpreted.