Medical history
Usually, your family physician will be the first to make a diagnosis of high or low blood pressure.  During your appointment, your doctor will inquire about your diet, level of exercise, symptoms experienced (if any) and when, family history of high or low blood pressure, illnesses, and medication currently taken.  No special preparation is usually required for your doctor's visit. 

Medical exams
Doctors use an arm cuff that is inflated, from which your pressure is read from a gauge to diagnose both high and low blood pressure.  Your doctor may alternatively diagnose high or low blood pressure using arterial catheterization, in which a catheter (a thin, hollow tube) is placed in an artery.  Arterial catherization tests yield a more precise measurement than the inflatable cuff. 

Tilt table test - In order to diagnose low blood pressure, or hypotension, your doctor may use a 'tilt-table test.'  During this exam, you lie on a table and your upper body is raised, during which time your blood pressure and heart rate are recorded.   

Once a diagnosis is made for blood pressure problems, you can begin treatment.  Treatments options for high blood pressure are different than those for low blood pressure.  Continue reading here for more information on how to treat high and low blood pressure in our next section on blood pressure treament.