Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What is Normal Blood Pressure?

The human heart pumps blood through the blood vessels in a wave-like pattern. The highest point of the wave corresponds to the heart's contraction. The blood pressure at the peak of the heart's contraction is known as the systolic blood pressure. When the heart relaxes, the blood pressure falls, and a lower level of blood pressure occurs, known as the diastolic blood pressure. This systolic and diastolic blood pressure is measured at routine doctor's visits and hospitalizations. If you are told that your blood pressure is 120 over 80, then your systolic pressure is 120 and your diastolic pressure is 80. This is an ideal blood pressure. Hypertension is defined as an elevation in the blood pressure over these ideal levels. The upper limit of normal is now defined as 135(systolic pressure) over 85(diastolic). If either the systolic or the diastolic blood pressure is persistently greater than this, hypertension is said to be present.

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