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 High Blood Pressure Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers-the systolic pressure (as the heart beats) over the diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between beats). The measurement is written one above or before the other, with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number on the bottom. For example, a blood pressure measurement of 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) is expressed verbally as "120 over 80." JNC 7 Guidelines Express Version The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, commonly referred to as JNC 7 is a report of updated clinical practice guidelines for hypertension. The report is released by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and contains new clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, detection, and treatment of high blood pressure. The guidelines, feature altered blood pressure categories, including a new "prehypertension" level-which covers about 22 percent of American adults or about 45 million persons. The new guidelines also streamline the steps by which doctors diagnose and treat patients, and recommend the use of diuretics, as part of the drug treatment plan for high blood pressure in most patients. 
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