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Blood pressure
Also known as BP, Arterial pressure
Blood pressure is the force of blood against the artery walls, written as two numbers in millimetres of mercury: the higher one is the pressure as the heart squeezes, the lower one the pressure as it refills. It varies through the day, so a diagnosis is never made on one reading.
In Cardiology
The upper figure is the pressure and the lower the , written as one over the other and read aloud that way. Both are measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg), a unit inherited from the original mercury column and kept because every guideline and every machine still speaks it. A reading is a snapshot: pressure is lowest in sleep, rises on waking, and climbs with pain, a full bladder, a recent cigarette, a cup of tea and the anxiety of being measured.
What the numbers mean
| Category | Systolic | Diastolic |
|---|---|---|
| Optimal | Below 120 | Below 80 |
| Normal | 120–129 | 80–84 |
| High-normal | 130–139 | 85–89 |
| Grade 1 hypertension | 140–159 | 90–99 |
| Grade 2 hypertension or above | 160 or more | 100 or more |
Measuring it properly changes the number more than most medicines do. Sit for five minutes first, back supported, feet flat, arm resting at the level of the heart, cuff on bare skin and the right size for the arm, and do not talk. Take two readings a minute apart and record both. Because a clinic reading is often higher than the truth, is confirmed with home readings over a week or with a 24-hour monitor before lifelong treatment is started.
Where this comes up
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Related terms
- SystolicSystolic is the top number in a blood pressure reading — the pressure in the arteries at the moment the heart contracts. It is the higher of the two figures.
- DiastolicDiastolic pressure, The lower numberDiastolic pressure is the lower of the two blood pressure numbers: the pressure remaining in the arteries while the heart relaxes and refills between beats. In a reading of 130 over 85, the diastolic pressure is 85.
- HypertensionHigh blood pressure, Blood pressure ka marzHypertension is blood pressure that stays high enough, over repeated proper measurements, to damage the arteries over time. It almost never causes symptoms, which is why it is found by measuring rather than by feeling unwell.
- DiureticWater tablet, Water pillA diuretic is a medicine that makes the kidneys pass more salt and water into the urine, lowering blood pressure and clearing fluid that has built up in the legs or the lungs. They are commonly called water tablets.