At what blood pressure does a hypertension crisis occur?

A hypertension crisis is characterized by severely elevated blood pressure, often defined as a systolic blood pressure of 180 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg or higher. This condition can lead to serious health complications, including hypertensive emergencies, which can result in organ damage, or hypertensive urgencies, that may not cause immediate organ damage but still require urgent intervention.

The correct choice reflects these thresholds, confirming that a reading of 180/110 indicates a critical level of hypertension requiring immediate medical attention. Blood pressures like 160/100, 140/90, and 150/95, while elevated and indicative of hypertension, do not meet the criteria for a hypertension crisis as per standard clinical definitions. Therefore, the understanding of hypertension crises hinges on recognizing the significance of the systolic and diastolic readings exceeding these critical levels, particularly the recognized threshold of 180/120.