Which of the following best defines systolic and diastolic blood pressures and states the target normal value and diagnostic threshold for hypertension?

• A. Systolic is the pressure during contraction and diastolic during relaxation, the clinical target is under 110/70 mmHg for adults, and hypertension is diagnosed at any single reading above 160/100 mmHg unless secondary causes are excluded by additional testing over time.
• B. Systolic is the pressure when the heart relaxes and fills, diastolic is when it contracts to eject blood, the target is under 140/90 mmHg and hypertension is diagnosed only when repeated measures exceed 140/90 on multiple days, making the clinical threshold and measurement protocol critical for diagnosis.
• C. Systolic equals the average systemic arterial pressure, diastolic equals pulmonary arterial pressure, and normal values are identical for all ages at 120/80 mmHg whereas hypertension is an arbitrary label used when patients report headaches or visual changes regardless of numerical values.
• D. Systolic: pressure during heart contraction; diastolic: pressure during relaxation; target <120/80 mmHg; hypertension ≥130/80 mmHg.

Answer: (D)