What stage of hypertension is characterized by a blood pressure of 165/95 mmHg?

The classification of hypertension is primarily determined by the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines define stage 2 hypertension as a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher.

Given a blood pressure of 165/95 mmHg, both the systolic pressure (165 mmHg) and the diastolic pressure (95 mmHg) exceed the stage 2 threshold. Therefore, this reading is clearly categorized as stage 2 hypertension.

In contrast, stage 1 hypertension would include blood pressure readings from 130-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic, while prehypertension is defined as systolic readings from 120-129 and diastolic readings under 80. This further reinforces that a reading of 165/95 mmHg aligns with the criteria for stage 2 hypertension.