What is a dangerously high blood pressure?
A blood pressure reading of 180/120 or higher is the level doctors treat as a possible emergency. It is more worrying with chest pain, a severe headache, trouble breathing, vision changes or weakness. That combination needs urgent care now, not a repeat reading tomorrow.
If you see 180/120 but feel completely fine, sit quietly for five minutes and measure again. If it stays that high, contact a doctor the same day.
Numbers between 140/90 and 180/120 are high but rarely an emergency. They deserve a proper conversation with your doctor and a week of home readings, which tell the real story better than any single measurement.
Source: American Heart Association, understanding blood pressure readings
See a doctor promptly if
- A reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher with chest pain, breathlessness, weakness on one side, slurred speech, confusion or sudden visual change. This is an emergency
- Blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher in pregnancy, especially with headache, upper abdominal pain, visual disturbance or sudden swelling
- A repeated reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher even without symptoms. This needs same-day medical assessment
- New severe headache, nosebleeds that will not stop, or breathlessness lying flat alongside high readings
- Blood in the urine, or a sharp fall in how much urine you pass, together with high readings
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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