Before the actual core of the topic is discussed, the concept of blood pressure must be discussed and explained. Blood pressure is basically the pressure which is exerted by the flowing blood onto the walls of the blood vessels. As the blood flows from the heart to the blood vessels, the pressure of the blood falls down.
To measure blood pressure readings, the most common method is to calculate it with a sphygmomanometer. The artery which is taken as the principal artery to measure the blood pressure is the brachial artery.
The blood pressure ranges that are calculated are done by calculating the systolic and the diastolic pressures.The blood pressure of a person is usually expressed by systolic over diastolic pressures. For example 120/80 mm Hg is the blood pressure, so 120 is the systolic and 80 is the diastolic pressure.
When checking the blood pressure readings, we should know how to inflate and deflate the cuff. During inflation, we should keep a finger on the pulse of the patient. When the pulse disappears, we should inflate the cuff around 40 mm Hg more, and then start to deflate it until we hear the beat. That is our systolic pressure. Keep deflating the cuff slowly till the beat disappears and that is considered to be your diastolic pressure.
Now when checking the blood pressure readings, we should know that what is normal and what is abnormal. Here are some levels that indicate the normal and abnormal blood pressure readings:
Category/group Systolic BP (mm Hg) Diastolic BP (mm Hg)
Normal group <120 <80
Pre- hypertension 120-139 or 80-89
Stage 1 hypertension 140-159 or 90-99
Stage 2 hypertension 160-179 or 100-109
Hypertensive crises ≥ 180 or ≥ 110
This is the reason why blood pressure readings are required to be taken carefully, because any reading over 120/80 mm Hg can bring you to a hypertensive level. If your readings come in the pre-hypertension group, it indicates that you don’t require taking any medication, but you need to do strenuous exercise to build up a good cardiovascular system, avoid salt intake and smoking. It is hoped that you might lower down your blood pressure, but you will have to keep a regular check on the blood pressure.
If you are in stage 1 or stage 2, you should follow all the above mentioned instructions, take regular medication, and should have a regular checkup from a cardiologist, because persistently elevated levels of blood pressure may make you prone to developing lethal complications.
Hypertensive crises cases need to be hospitalized, and their blood pressure needs to be regulated in emergency.
Sometimes, the blood pressure readings may also be very low, such as in thin lean females, where the blood pressure reading may come out to be less than 90/60 mm Hg. This is known as hypotension. Unlike hypertension, this is not a disease, rather it is a cause of some underlying disease or pathology, which needs to be diagnosed and corrected.
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