BP Basics
READING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Blood pressure refers to the pressure of blood flow in the arteries. Blood pressure reading is used to determine the cardiovascular health of an individual. An instrument called the sphygmomanometer is used to measure blood pressure. The unit millimeter of mercury shown as mmHg is the unit of measurement of blood pressure.Blood pressure has two components- systole and diastole. Systole refers to the high blood pressure in arteries. It occurs when the heart expands and pumps blood into the arteries. Diastole refers to the low pressure of blood in arteries. This happens when the heart is in a stage of relaxation after contraction.
In a normal healthy adult, the systole should be 120mmHg and diastole should be 80mmHg. The blood pressure in an individual may change because of factors such as stress, diet, disease, medication and age.
Blood pressure varies according to age. .Blood pressure can be on the higher side in elderly people. It is usually normal in children.
High blood pressure implies higher tension on the arteries when blood flows through them.
People often wonder what high blood pressure is. In medical terms, high blood pressure or hypertension denotes a condition in which the blood pressure reading is more than or equal to 140/90mmHg.
Medical practitioners use readings of both systole and diastole to determine blood pressure condition of an individual. Usually a doctor prescribes medication after checking blood pressure several times.
High blood pressure or systole can cause cardiac disease, heart attack, stroke, kidney problems, and organ damage and blindness etc. Please note diastole causes diseases related to low blood pressure.
However isolated cases of blood pressure readings which are higher than 140/90 mmHg should not be a cause of worry.
To understand the perils associated with this silent killer, it is important to understand blood pressure readings and the symptoms associated with them. The systole reading of 140 to 159mm Hg and diastole reading of 90-94mm denotes mild hypertension. A systolic reading of 160-179 and diastole reading 94-114mm Hg signifies moderate hypertension. A blood pressure reading which denotes more than moderate hypertension is a cause for serious concern.
Uncontrolled mild and moderate hypertension can deteriorate into serious hypertension if not treated on time.
At times, systole may be more than 140mm Hg while the diastole pressure may be is less than 90mm Hg. It denotes a condition of isolated systolic high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack, blindness or kidney damage.
It is very important for patients suffering from high blood pressure to understand the seriousness of the problem and the prescribed medication associated with it.