Prehypertension: does it really matter?

The arterial blood pressure (AP) is an integral index reflecting the functional state of the cardiovascular system. Instead of it being a dynamic parameter with short- term and circadian deviations, it is maintained in definite referent values. The argument of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to define AP values under 140/90 mmHg in three categories - optimal (under 120/80 mmHg), normal (120-129 mmHg for systolic and/ or 80-84 mmHg for diastolic) and high normal (130-139 mmHg for systolic and/or 85-89 mmHg for diastolic) is connected to the different cardiovascular risks. The risk of arterial hypertension (AH) to develop is higher in individuals with high normal AP. In prehypertension, the systolic (top number) reading is 120 mmHg-139 mmHg, or the diastolic (bottom number) reading is 80 mmHg-89 mmHg.