Symptoms of Prehypertension

Prehypertension is when your blood pressure is measured at above-normal levels but is below hypertension, or high blood pressure. It is a warning sign that you are at risk of developing high blood pressure.

A blood pressure reading includes systolic pressure and diastolic pressure levels. The American Heart Association (AHA) defines normal blood pressure as a reading below 120/80 mm Hg for adults. With high blood pressure, the systolic pressure is 130 or higher, or diastolic pressure is 80 or higher.

Blood pressure readings for prehypertension occur between normal and high blood pressure levels. This stage, which the AHA defines as "elevated" blood pressure, includes systolic readings between 120-129 and diastolic levels less than 80.

Prehypertension often occurs without symptoms. For some people, symptoms like dizziness or nosebleeds may occur as blood pressure levels become higher.

Learning that you have prehypertension can help you prevent high blood pressure. This article explains its symptoms, complications, and when to seek treatment.

A Silent Condition

You can have prehypertension and not know it. The condition often occurs without symptoms, so it can exist and even progress to hypertension before you're aware of it.

Most people learn they have prehypertension when they have their blood pressure taken by a healthcare provider. Since blood pressure varies during the day, a diagnosis of prehypertension requires having elevated blood pressure levels on more than one occasion.

Even if your condition worsens to qualify as hypertension, you may not have symptoms. Like prehypertension, hypertension is regarded as a "silent killer," because it can cause damage before it's discovered.

When Symptoms Occur

If you experience symptoms, it may indicate that your blood pressure is well above elevated levels. The following symptoms may be a sign that your blood pressure is dangerously high:

• Headaches
• Irregular heart rhythms
• Vision distortions
• Ringing in the ears
  

Rare Symptoms

The following symptoms can be indirectly linked to prehypertension that has progressed to severe levels. While high blood pressure may not be the cause of these symptoms, these symptoms occur more often in people who have this condition:

• Dizziness
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage (blood spots in the eyes)
• Facial flushing

Complications

Complications from prehypertension occur over time. Without making lifestyle changes to improve prehypertension, you increase the likelihood that your condition will progress to hypertension.

Living with uncontrolled prehypertension can damage your blood vessels and lead to problems that affect other organs and bodily systems. The effect can cause life-altering health conditions.

The complications of allowing prehypertension to remain untreated and progress to hypertension include:

• Heart attack
• Angina
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Kidney disease or kidney failure
• Vision loss
• Erectile dysfunction
• Lower libido
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• Atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries)
• Decreased cognitive function and higher risk of dementia later in life

Children and Adolescents

In addition to these serious health conditions, children and adolescents diagnosed with prehypertension may show evidence of damage to major body organs. Having prehypertension at a young age also gives patients a higher risk of hypertension as adults.

Pregnancy

Pregnant people may experience unique complications as a result of untreated prehypertension. In pregnancy, prehypertension is linked with a higher risk of stillbirth and babies born smaller than their gestational age.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Getting regular blood pressure checks by a healthcare provider is the best way to monitor your risk of hypertension and identify prehypertension before you suffer long-term damage. Without monitoring, you can have prehypertension and not know it and not have the chance to reverse the condition with lifestyle modifications.

Living with untreated prehypertension increases your risk of having hypertensive crises. The following conditions require urgent medical attention to avoid organ damage and failure.

Hypertensive Emergency

A hypertensive emergency requires immediate medical treatment. Call 911 if your blood pressure reading is 180/120 mm Hg and you have any of the following symptoms:

• Severe headache
• Nosebleeds
• Chest pain
• Nausea/vomiting
• Dizziness
• Numbness/weakness
• Difficulty speaking
• Shortness of breath
• Severe anxiety

Hypertensive Urgency

Hypertensive urgency is a condition in which your blood pressure reaches 180/120 mm Hg without other symptoms. If this occurs, the AHA advises that you wait five minutes and recheck your blood pressure levels. The condition rarely requires hospitalization, though you should contact your healthcare provider for further instructions.

Summary

Prehypertension occurs when your blood pressure levels are high but not high enough to qualify as high blood pressure. Learning you have prehypertension serves as a warning that you have an increased risk of hypertension. It gives you a chance to make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of high blood pressure.

Prehypertension often occurs without symptoms. Getting a blood pressure reading from a healthcare provider is the only way to learn if you have this condition. While symptoms may occur, they often aren't unique to this issue. This makes it hard to link them to prehypertension.

In many cases, symptoms occur after you progress from prehypertension to high blood pressure. At this point, you may have reached severe levels when damage to organs and bodily systems is more likely.

A Word From Verywell

Being diagnosed with prehypertension is a chance to prevent health problems that can occur if your condition progresses to hypertension. Living with hypertension can require long-term treatment and increase your risk of organ damage.

With proper lifestyle modifications, you may be able to prevent your condition from advancing to hypertension. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the best ways to reverse prehypertension and reduce your risk of hypertension.