What is my pulse pressure?
Enter a systolic and a diastolic blood pressure to see the pulse pressure and the proportional pulse pressure, each with the cut-off its source uses. For information only. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis. Do not use it to make treatment decisions without a clinician. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page.
- Pulse pressure (mmHg)
- 40
A blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg gives a pulse pressure of 40 mmHg, 33.3% of the systolic pressure.
Under 60 mmHg
- Under 60 mmHg
- 60 mmHg or more
- Proportional pulse pressure
- 33.3%
- Against the 25% cut-off
- 25% or more
Pulse pressure (mmHg): 40. A blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg gives a pulse pressure of 40 mmHg, 33.3% of the systolic pressure.
Pulse pressure (mmHg)
This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use
How to calculate
Works out the pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic blood pressure) and the proportional pulse pressure (pulse pressure ÷ systolic), and compares them with the 60 mmHg and 25% cut-offs of the cited sources.
Example with the default inputs (Systolic, top number (mmHg) 120, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 80): A blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg gives a pulse pressure of 40 mmHg, 33.3% of the systolic pressure.
Method: Pulse pressure = SBP − DBP; proportional pulse pressure = (SBP − DBP) ÷ SBP × 100%. Each is rounded once to 1 decimal, halves up, then compared with 60 mmHg and 25%.
- The pressures are one cuff reading in mmHg, with the person seated and rested.
- The 60 mmHg cut-off is the 2023 ESH sign of stiff large arteries in people over 60; the 25% cut-off comes from 50 people with chronic heart failure.
- Each result is worked from the exact typed values and rounded once to 1 decimal, halves up; the bands read the rounded value.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 120, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 80 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 40, Proportional pulse pressure 33.3%, Against the 25% cut-off 25% or more.
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 160, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 90 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 70, Proportional pulse pressure 43.8%, Against the 25% cut-off 25% or more.
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 140, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 80 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 60, Proportional pulse pressure 42.9%, Against the 25% cut-off 25% or more.
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 100, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 80 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 20, Proportional pulse pressure 20%, Against the 25% cut-off Under 25%.Source: Stevenson and Perloff 1989: proportional pulse pressure 20 ÷ 100 = 20%, under 25%
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 120, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 90 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 30, Proportional pulse pressure 25%, Against the 25% cut-off 25% or more.
- Systolic, top number (mmHg) 200, Diastolic, bottom number (mmHg) 150.1 gives Pulse pressure (mmHg) 49.9, Proportional pulse pressure 25%, Against the 25% cut-off 25% or more.
Medical disclaimer
This calculator is for information and education only. It is not medical advice, and its result is not a diagnosis. Do not use it to start, stop, or change a treatment without a clinician who knows your health history. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page. This site's editors checked the formulas and worked examples against published sources. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your local emergency number.
When this does not apply. The two cut-offs come from different groups of people. The 60 mmHg mark is the 2023 ESH guidelines' sign of stiff large arteries in people over 60; in younger people a wide pulse pressure can be harmless. The 25% mark comes from 50 people with chronic heart failure (Stevenson and Perloff 1989), where it pointed to a low cardiac output; it was not tested in healthy people. One cuff reading is not a diagnosis: blood pressure varies from reading to reading. Readings outside 50 to 300 mmHg systolic or 20 to 200 mmHg diastolic, or a diastolic pressure that is not below the systolic pressure, give no answer.
How it works
With the systolic pressure SBP and the diastolic pressure DBP, in mmHg:
- pulse pressure PP = SBP − DBP;
- proportional pulse pressure = PP ÷ SBP × 100%.
The page works with the exact typed decimals and rounds each result once, halves up, to 1 decimal. The rounded value is the result, and each band reads it:
| Result | Band | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse pressure | under 60 mmHg, or 60 mmHg or more | 2023 ESH guidelines, Tables 2 and 11 (people over 60) |
| Proportional pulse pressure | under 25%, or 25% or more | Stevenson and Perloff 1989 (chronic heart failure) |
The page also says in words where the proportional pulse pressure sits: under 25%, or 25% or more. So 200/150.1 gives PP = 49.9 mmHg and 49.9 ÷ 200 = 24.95%, shown as 25.0%, in the 25% or more band.
Allowed input. Systolic 50 to 300 mmHg, diastolic 20 to 200 mmHg. A diastolic pressure equal to or above the systolic pressure gives no answer.
Assumptions
- The pressures are one cuff reading on the arm (brachial), in mmHg.
- The results are for education. They are not medical advice.
Worked examples by hand
120/80, the page default. PP = 120 − 80 = 40 mmHg (StatPearls: about 40 mmHg), under 60. Proportional: 40 ÷ 120 = 33.33%, shown as 33.3%, 25% or more.
160/90. PP = 70 mmHg, 60 mmHg or more. 70 ÷ 160 = 43.75%, shown as 43.8% (halves up).
140/80. PP = 60 mmHg, the lowest value in the 60 mmHg or more band. 60 ÷ 140 = 42.857%, shown as 42.9%.
100/80. PP = 20 mmHg. 20 ÷ 100 = 20.0%, under 25%.
120/90. PP = 30 mmHg. 30 ÷ 120 = 25.0%, in the 25% or more band.
200/150.1. PP = 49.9 mmHg. 49.9 ÷ 200 = 24.95%, shown as 25.0%, so the band is 25% or more.
Other questions people ask
What is pulse pressure?
The systolic (top) blood pressure minus the diastolic (bottom) pressure. It is the rise in pressure with each heartbeat. At 120/80 it is 120 − 80 = 40 mmHg, which StatPearls gives as about the normal value.
How do I calculate pulse pressure?
Subtract the bottom number from the top number. For 160/90: 160 − 90 = 70 mmHg. For the proportional pulse pressure, divide the pulse pressure by the systolic pressure: 70 ÷ 160 = 43.75%, shown as 43.8%.
What is a wide pulse pressure?
The 2023 ESH hypertension guidelines count a brachial pulse pressure of 60 mmHg or more in people over 60 as a sign of stiff large arteries, one of the kinds of organ damage from high blood pressure (Tables 2 and 11). The same guidelines note that pulse pressure rises with age, because the systolic pressure keeps rising while the diastolic pressure levels off after 50 to 60.
What is the proportional pulse pressure?
The pulse pressure divided by the systolic pressure, in percent. In 50 people with chronic heart failure, Stevenson and Perloff (1989) found that a proportional pulse pressure under 25% picked out a cardiac index under 2.2 L/min/m² with 91% sensitivity and 83% specificity.
What is a narrow pulse pressure?
A pulse pressure that is small for the systolic pressure. StatPearls calls a pulse pressure under 25% of the systolic pressure low or narrowed, and lists heart failure, blood loss, aortic stenosis, and cardiac tamponade among the causes. The 25% cut-off was tested in heart failure, not as a screen for healthy people.
Can a young person have a wide pulse pressure?
Yes. The 2023 ESH guidelines describe isolated systolic hypertension in young people. In some of them, more often tall, active men, it comes with a normal pressure in the aorta and no other risk factors; the guidelines call this spurious systolic hypertension. The 60 mmHg cut-off on this page is for people over 60.
How is pulse pressure different from mean arterial pressure?
Pulse pressure is the size of the swing in each beat. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) is the average pressure over the beat, estimated as the diastolic pressure plus one third of the pulse pressure. The mean arterial pressure calculator on this site works it out.