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Blood Pressure Information
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. It can be measured using a syphgmonometer which will indicate both the systolic pressure (as the heart fills with blood) and the diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes and empties of blood). The measurement is usually expressed verbally as "120 over 80" and written as 120/80 mmHg.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute describe blood pressure as: "A silent time bomb waiting to go off".
Blood pressure and the heart
The heart works hard to maintain an adequate blood pressure, which ensures that all cells and vital organs receive oxygenated blood and that waste products are collected and eliminated from the body.
Signs and symptoms
Often there are no signs or symptoms which make us aware that our blood pressure is raised consistently outside normal limits. The dangerous consequences of continued, untreated high blood pressure are heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, kidney damage, blindness and other conditions.
Blood Pressure
Normal blood pressure - Less than 130 mmHg systolic and less than 85 mmHg diastolic.
Optimal blood pressure - Is 120 mmHg systolic and less than 80 mmHg diastolic or below.
High blood pressure - Known as hypertension, often goes unnoticed until picked up as a result of receiving medical attention for unrelated issues. A single "high" reading should not be seen as having hypertension as mechanisms in the body will naturally cause blood pressure to rise and fall throughout the day in response to internal and external demands.
Risk factors
There are certain risk factors that are known to influence blood pressure, these include: