Blood pressure reference ranges by age and gender
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Blood Pressure Reference Ranges by Age and Gender: Key Insights
Adult Blood Pressure Reference Ranges by Age and Gender
Research from a healthy Iranian adult population (ages 30–69) shows that both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are generally higher in men than in women. For men, the 5th to 90th percentile of SBP ranges from 95 to 148 mm Hg, and for women, from 87 to 140 mm Hg. For DBP, the 5th to 90th percentile in men is 60 to 92 mm Hg, and in women, 60 to 91 mm Hg. These findings highlight the importance of using age- and gender-specific percentiles to identify hypertension risk in adults .
A large study using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) found that diastolic blood pressure increases with age until a certain point, after which it declines. Notably, in women, DBP starts to decrease much earlier (around age 22) compared to men (around age 46). For the first 35 years of life, women tend to have higher DBP than men, but this reverses in later years, which may contribute to the higher prevalence of systolic hypertension in older women .
Central Blood Pressure Reference Values in Older Adults
In Japanese adults aged 40–89, central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) is higher in men than women (132 mm Hg vs. 123 mm Hg), but women have higher central pulse pressure and augmentation pressure. These central BP parameters change with age and are influenced by sex, emphasizing the need for age- and sex-specific reference values for accurate diagnosis and risk assessment .
Blood Pressure Reference Ranges in Children and Adolescents
Multiple large-scale studies from different countries have established that blood pressure reference ranges in children and adolescents should be based on age, gender, and height. For example, in Portuguese, Polish, German, and Chinese children, gender-specific percentiles for SBP and DBP are provided, and these values are often higher in boys than girls after puberty. The 95th percentile is commonly used as the threshold for diagnosing hypertension in children 2457.
International comparisons show that BP values are similar between boys and girls until about age 13, after which boys tend to have higher values. Reference tables that account for age, sex, and height are crucial for accurately identifying elevated BP in children and adolescents across different populations 78.
Special Considerations: Blood Pressure During Anesthesia and Exercise
Reference ranges for noninvasive blood pressure in children during anesthesia show that mean BP values increase with age, from about 33 mm Hg at birth to 67 mm Hg at 18 years. These ranges are useful for monitoring and managing pediatric patients during surgery .
During exercise, men have higher peak SBP than women, but when adjusted for workload, women show higher SBP relative to the amount of work performed. Age, sex, and exercise capacity all influence these values, and reference equations have been developed to help interpret exercise BP responses .
Conclusion
Blood pressure reference ranges vary significantly by age and gender, with men generally having higher values than women in adulthood, and boys surpassing girls after puberty. In children and adolescents, age-, gender-, and height-specific percentiles are essential for accurate assessment. In adults, both central and peripheral BP values change with age and differ by sex, with unique patterns observed in DBP trajectories. These findings underscore the importance of using population-specific, age- and gender-adjusted reference tables for the diagnosis and management of blood pressure across the lifespan 12345789+1 MORE.
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