In August 2025, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released new guidelines on prevention and management of hypertension . The Conversation U.S. asked cardiologist Dr. William Cornwell of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to explain what the new guidelines mean.

Primary takeaways

First, the definition of hypertension has changed. The criteria are more strict, and the target blood pressures are lower than in the past.

The criteria depend on the values of the “systolic” and the “diastolic” pressure . Systolic blood pressure, the top number, represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart is squeezing blood into the body. Diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number, is the pressure in the blood vessels whe

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