Being at risk of hypertension means that although your BP is generally normal, you seem to be at risk for developing it in the future. Watching for changes and taking action to prevent its development is advised.
At least two BP determinations should be taken on each of 3 days before a patient is diagnosed as hypertensive. More BP determinations are desirable for patients in the low hypertension range and especially for patients with fluctuating BP. Normal BP is much lower for infants and children. Sporadic higher levels in patients who have been resting for greater than 5 minutes suggest an unusual lability of BP that may precede sustained hypertension. For example, office or white coat hypertension refers to BP that is consistently elevated in the physician’s office but normal when measured at home or by ambulatory BP monitoring.
A hypertensive is a person defined as having systolic blood pressure of at least 140mm Hg and/or diastolic of at least 90mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive medication.