High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms at all, which is exactly why it can quietly strain the heart, brain and kidneys for years before anyone notices.
Medically reviewed by the RIIMS medical team · Last updated: June 2026
Go to hospital now
- Blood pressure 180/120 mmHg or higher, together with chest pain, breathlessness, a severe headache or a change in vision: call your local emergency number (in most of India, 108 or 112) immediately
- Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the face, arm or leg, slurred speech, or trouble understanding speech: remember F.A.S.T. (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) and call emergency services even if the symptoms go away
- A sudden, severe headache unlike any before, with confusion or loss of consciousness
See a doctor soon (not an emergency)
- A blood pressure reading of 180/120 or higher without any of the symptoms above still needs same-day medical advice
- Blood pressure that has stopped responding to your usual medicine
What does a high blood pressure reading actually mean?
Blood pressure measures the force of blood against your artery walls, written as two numbers: systolic (the pressure when the heart beats) over diastolic (the pressure between beats). The ICMR-INDIAB study, a nationwide survey of over 113,000 adults, found that 35.5% of Indian adults have high blood pressure, more than one in three. Almost none of them feel it. High blood pressure has few or no symptoms for most people, which is exactly what makes it dangerous: the strain on the arteries, heart, brain and kidneys builds for years before anything feels wrong. Because a single reading can be raised by stress, a full bladder or simply the anxiety of being examined, a diagnosis is never made on one number. It needs repeated measurement, at rest, on more than one occasion, sometimes checked at home as well as in a clinic. Two situations turn a high reading into an emergency. A blood pressure of 180/120 mmHg or higher, together with chest pain, breathlessness, a severe headache, a change in vision, weakness or slurred speech, needs immediate emergency care, not a scheduled appointment. And any sudden weakness on one side of the face or body, arm weakness or slurred speech, whether or not blood pressure has been checked, could be a stroke: remember F.A.S.T. (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) and call emergency services even if the symptoms go away on their own.
Symptoms to watch for
- Usually no symptoms at all
- Found only through a blood pressure check
- Occasional headache, in some people with very high readings
- A reading of 130/80 mmHg or higher, repeated on more than one occasion
- Often first noticed during a routine check-up or while investigating another condition
- Vision change, severe headache, chest pain or breathlessness only at dangerously high levels, which is an emergency (see below)
When to consult a doctor
Get your blood pressure checked at least once a year, more often if it has ever been raised or you have diabetes or kidney disease. A confirmed high reading needs a doctor's review even without symptoms; do not wait for a headache or another sign, because for most people there is not one.