Blood pressureBP, Arterial pressureBlood 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.
Blood pressure: what the numbers actually mean
High blood pressure has no symptoms until it has already done damage, which is why the number matters more than how you feel. This quiz covers what the two figures mean, what counts as high, and what actually lowers it.
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Question 1/10
1. In a reading of 130/85, what does the upper number (130) measure?
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The full set, for revision or for reading straight through. The correct answer is marked, and the explanation says why.
1. In a reading of 130/85, what does the upper number (130) measure?
- The pressure while the heart contracts and pushes blood out
- The pressure while the heart relaxes between beats
- The number of heartbeats per minute
- The amount of cholesterol in the blood
The pressure while the heart contracts and pushes blood out. The upper figure is the systolic pressure — the peak pressure in your arteries at the moment the heart squeezes. The lower figure is diastolic, the resting pressure between beats.
2. From what reading is blood pressure generally called high in an adult?
- 120/80 mmHg or above
- 140/90 mmHg or above
- 160/100 mmHg or above
- 100/60 mmHg or above
140/90 mmHg or above. A clinic reading of 140/90 mmHg or above, confirmed on more than one occasion, is the usual threshold for hypertension. Between 120/80 and 139/89 is raised — a reason to change habits and recheck, not usually to start tablets.
3. How does untreated high blood pressure usually make itself known?
- Severe headaches every morning
- Nosebleeds
- Usually with no symptoms at all
- Chest pain on walking
Usually with no symptoms at all. This is the single most important fact about it: hypertension is typically silent. The headaches and nosebleeds people associate with it are unreliable, which is why the only way to know is to measure.
4. Which change lowers blood pressure most reliably for most people?
- Drinking more water
- Cutting salt and losing excess weight
- Taking a daily multivitamin
- Avoiding all exercise
Cutting salt and losing excess weight. Reducing salt and losing even 5–10% of body weight both produce measurable falls in blood pressure. In Pakistan the largest hidden salt sources are usually bread, pickles, papad and packaged snacks rather than the salt shaker.
5. You should rest for how long before taking a home blood pressure reading?
- No rest is needed
- About 5 minutes, seated and quiet
- At least 30 minutes lying down
- Immediately after climbing stairs
About 5 minutes, seated and quiet. Five minutes seated, back supported, feet flat, arm at heart level, and no tea, coffee or cigarette for 30 minutes beforehand. A reading taken straight after walking in can be 10–20 mmHg too high.
6. Which of these raises blood pressure and is often overlooked?
- Regular use of painkillers such as ibuprofen
- Drinking plain water
- Sleeping eight hours
- Eating fresh fruit
Regular use of painkillers such as ibuprofen. NSAIDs — ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen — raise blood pressure and blunt the effect of several blood pressure medicines. If you take them most days for joint pain, tell your doctor.
7. If your blood pressure is well controlled on tablets, what should you do?
- Stop the tablets, since the problem is solved
- Keep taking them and continue follow-up
- Halve the dose yourself
- Take them only when you feel unwell
Keep taking them and continue follow-up. The tablets are what is holding the number down; stopping lets it climb back within weeks. Any change in dose is a decision to make with your doctor, not alone.
8. Which reading needs urgent medical attention rather than a routine appointment?
- 150/95 with no symptoms
- 180/120 with chest pain, breathlessness or blurred vision
- 135/85 after a stressful day
- 145/90 at a single reading
180/120 with chest pain, breathlessness or blurred vision. A reading at or above 180/120 together with chest pain, breathlessness, weakness, confusion or visual change suggests organ damage in progress. That is an emergency — go to hospital, do not wait for a clinic slot.
9. Why does a doctor sometimes ask you to measure at home over a week?
- To save clinic time
- Because blood pressure varies, and one clinic reading can mislead
- Because home machines are more accurate than clinic ones
- To check the machine is working
Because blood pressure varies, and one clinic reading can mislead. Pressure swings across the day, and some people read high purely because they are in a clinic — white-coat hypertension. A week of home readings gives a truer average than a single visit.
10. Which organ is most commonly damaged silently by years of high blood pressure?
- The kidneys
- The stomach
- The liver
- The pancreas
The kidneys. The kidneys, along with the heart, brain and eyes. Damage accumulates without symptoms, which is why a creatinine and urine test is part of monitoring hypertension rather than an extra.
Words used in this quiz
- 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.
- 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.
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