The stress of shopping and family get-togethers, plus the surfeit of rich, salty meals and alcohol are enough to send anyone’s blood pressure upwards at this time of year. But how high is too high? In the UK, normal blood pressure is 120/80 or less, and high blood pressure (hypertension) is set at 140/90.
But recent guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology propose a new in-between category called ‘elevated blood pressure’ of 120/70 to 139/89, at which treatment should be considered. The guidelines bring Europe into line with the US, where there is already an elevated category of 120-129/80.