Older adults and high-performance athletes often experience wide pulse pressure.
These numbers indicate the following:
Yourpulse pressureis the difference between your systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg or less.
Fiordaliso / Getty Images
A wide pulse pressure refers to a difference of 100 mmHg or higher between those two numbers.
Don’t talk while your blood pressure is being taken.
The most significant indication that you have wide pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic numbers.
Like wide pulse pressure, high blood pressure may not have any symptoms.
These may occur if high blood pressure remains uncontrolled or untreated.
Pulse pressure is not used as widely as other measures to assess heart health.
This may change as more research identifies pulse pressure as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Tang KS, Medeiros ED, Shah AD.Wide pulse pressure: a clinical review.J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich).
2020;22(11):1960-1967. doi:10.1111/jch.14051
American Heart Association.Understanding blood pressure readings.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measure your blood pressure.
National Institute on Drug Abuse.Is nicotine addictive?
2021;10(9):e019566.
2024;13(5):e240090.
2019;317(5):H1125-H1133.
2021;77(2):546-556. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.16277
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure symptoms and causes.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.High blood pressure symptoms.
American Heart Association.What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.High blood pressure treatment.
