| Essentially, blood pressure is the measure of how | | | | disease may occur. Or, there is the risk of getting |
| hard your heart has to work in order to circulate | | | | a stroke, congestive heart failure, and possibly |
| blood through your body. There are two factors | | | | kidney disease. |
| that affect blood pressure: the amount of blood | | | | Actually, most people do not understand that |
| being pumped out of the heart and the amount | | | | there is no one specific normal number to blood |
| of resistance as the heart works to pump blood | | | | pressure, such as the common quoted 120/80. |
| into the general circulation. To understand this | | | | Actually, there is a range of normal blood |
| better consider this: water running through a | | | | pressure readings that includes less than 140 for |
| narrow hose as opposed through a wider hose. | | | | systolic BP (the top number) and less than 90 for |
| What happens here is that it takes less pressure | | | | diastolic BP ( the bottom number). The systolic |
| to pump water into a hose with a large diameter | | | | reading is the highest pressure in the arteries at |
| than it does to pump water into a hose with a | | | | the time the heart contracts and pushes blood |
| small one | | | | forward into the arteries. On the other hand, the |
| When at rest, the heart beats about sixty to | | | | diastolic reading is the lowest pressure in the |
| ninety times per minute. And, with each beat | | | | arteries, and represents the heart at rest |
| blood is pumped into the arteries which are the | | | | between contractions. During this time the heart |
| pipeline that carries blood throughout the body. | | | | fills with blood and prepares for the next |
| Arteries have the ability to expand and contract. | | | | contraction |
| An increase in the resistance or volume needs a | | | | We may have heard that high BP is known as the |
| greater effort by the heart to push the blood | | | | silent killer. This is so because there are no |
| forward into the arteries. Over time, the heart, | | | | symptoms of elevated BP. Really, the only way |
| because of increased work may become enlarged | | | | to know if one has high BP is to have it |
| and less efficient. Moreover, the arteries may also | | | | measured. If needed, the treatment of HBP may |
| become damaged because of scarring and loss of | | | | include, with the advice of one's doctor, diet |
| elasticity. | | | | changes, starting an exercise program, and |
| If one does not get treatment for high blood | | | | prescribed medication. |
| pressure, there is the probability that heart | | | | |