What is the medical term for high blood pressure?

The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. It describes blood pressure that remains abnormally high as blood pushes against the walls of the arteries over time.

Blood pressure is written as two numbers: systolic pressure, measured when the heart contracts, and diastolic pressure, measured when the heart relaxes between beats. Persistent hypertension can strain the heart and damage blood vessels, increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, and vision problems.

Hypertension often has no obvious symptoms, which is why it is sometimes called a “silent” condition. A single elevated reading does not necessarily establish a diagnosis; clinicians typically consider repeated measurements, the measurement method, and the person’s overall health.

The wrong options describe different conditions. Tachycardia means an unusually fast heart rate, hyperglycemia means high blood glucose, and hypotension means abnormally low blood pressure. Hypertension is therefore the specific term for sustained high arterial pressure.