Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity—and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too much blood pressure can harm healthy arteries.
Blood pressure is measured by two numbers:
- systolic pressure and
- diastolic pressure.
Diastolic pressure measures peripheral resistance and refers to arterial pressure at its lowest.
Blood pressure is normally measured at the brachial artery with a sphygmomanometer (pressure cuff) in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and given as systolic over diastolic pressure.
A blood pressure reading thus appears as two numbers. The upper number is the systolic pressure, which is the peak force of blood as the heart pumps it. The lower number is the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the heart is filling or relaxing before the next beat.
Normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/70 (on average), but normal for an individual varies with the height, weight, fitness level, age, and health of a person.
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