A Hypertensive emergency is any elevation in blood pressure in the presence of end-organ dysfunction. Aggressively treating severe asymptomatic hypertension (very high blood pressure without clear end organ damage) is not indicated, not supported by the literature and DANGEROUS. First, do no harm.
In accordance with most major guidelines it is recommended that hypertension be diagnosed when a person’s systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the office or clinic is ≥140 mm Hg and/or their diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is ≥90 mm Hg following repeated examination.
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The diagnosis of hypertensive emergency is made based upon the findings of hypertension in the setting of end-organ damage (usually heart, brain, or kidneys). What you really care about is the rate of increase rather than the actual BP number (there is no defining threshold).