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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Feb 10.
Published in final edited form as: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2015 Mar;1338:1–15. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12723

Table 4.

The Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC-8) Panel’s Definitions of Threshold and Goal for Pharmacologic Treatment of Hypertension36

Hypertensive population BP to start pharmacologic treatment (mmHg) BP treatment goal (mmHg) Level of evidence
≥60 years old SBP ≥ 150 DBP ≥ 90 SBP < 150 DBP < 90 Grade A: Strong recommendation
30–59 years old DBP ≥ 90 DBP < 90 Grade A: Strong recommendation
18–29 years old DBP ≥ 90 DBP < 90 Grade E: Expert opinion
<69 years old SBP ≥ 140 SBP < 140 Grade E: Expert opinion
≥ 18 years old with CKD SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 SBP < 140 DBP < 90 Grade E: Expert opinion
≥ 18 years old with diabetes SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 SBP < 140 DBP < 90 Grade E: Expert opinion

BP, blood pressure; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure.