This version was machine-translated from German and has not been medically reviewed. The authoritative version is the German version.
Vital signs by age
Heart rate, respiratory rate and systolic blood pressure – usual ranges (P5–P95)
All age groups
| Age | Heart rate (/min) | Respiratory rate (/min) | Systolic blood pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn (term) | 120–170 | 25–60 | 60–95 mmHg |
| 3 months | 115–170 | 25–60 | 60–105 mmHg |
| 6 months | 110–170 | 20–55 | 75–105 mmHg |
| 1 year | 105–150 | 20–45 | 70–105 mmHg |
| 2 years | 95–150 | 20–40 | 70–105 mmHg |
| 4 years | 80–150 | 17–30 | 75–110 mmHg |
| 6 years | 75–140 | 16–30 | 80–115 mmHg |
| 8 years | 70–130 | 16–30 | 80–115 mmHg |
| 10 years | 60–130 | 15–25 | 85–120 mmHg |
| 12 years | 65–120 | 15–25 | 90–120 mmHg |
| 14 years | 60–115 | 14–25 | 90–125 mmHg |
| 16 years | 60–115 | 14–25 | 90–130 mmHg |
| from 17 years | 60–115 | 14–25 | 90–135 mmHg |
Fast breathing per WHO: from 60/min (under 2 months), 50/min (2–11 months), 40/min (1–4 years).
How to count correctly
Count breaths in a calm or sleeping child over a full minute – infants breathe irregularly, and counting for a quarter of a minute and multiplying by four is misleading. In infants, the pulse is best felt on the inner upper arm or heard with the ear on the chest; in older children, at the wrist.
Fever and agitation alter the values
With fever, the heart and breathing rates increase; a value above the table during fever is therefore not in itself a sign of respiratory distress. What matters is how the child breathes: whether they flare their nostrils, draw in the skin between the ribs, grunt or turn pale – these are the signs the pediatrician looks for.