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High blood pressure, which is also known medically as hypertension, is a state where the pressure of the blood coursing through your arteries is considerably higher than standard. Most medical practitioners will state that the beginning point for people over eighteen years of age is 120/80. However, there are causes that could render those numbers not normal. Age is one of them.
The first number is the systolic arterial blood pressure, which means that it is the pressure read when your heart contracts, beats or pumps out blood. The second number is when the heart sucks in blood, ready to pump it out again.
These figures are given in millimetres of mercury and are stated in mmHg. Higher readings of either of these figures can indicate a problem. One thing to make patent here is that it is impossible to guess or estimate the pressure of your blood without using either a sphygmomanometer ( the one your doctor uses in the surgery), which is the gold standard of blood pressure monitoring units or a home blood monitoring machine.
Blood pressure can be affected by numerous things such as: time of the day, age, weight, height, mood, fitness, diet, level of activity and stress, which may or may not be part of 'white coat syndrome' amongst others. 'White coat syndrome' is the worry felt by individuals when they have to be examined by a physician. This applies to children more than to any other age group.
Blood pressure also changes during the day, so in order to acquire an accurate reading, it is necessary to take several all at the same time of day. It is also prudent to wait 45 minutes after drinking caffeine or ten minutes after arriving before taking a reading.
So, what is standard? The real answer, although it is annoying, is that only a medical doctor can tell you, but for an adult, they say that it is 120/80, for an adolescent it is 110/70 and for an infant it is 80/45.
However, while measuring and evaluating the blood pressure of adolescents, you have to bear in mind that age, sex and height matter. Therefore, an adolescent is said to have high blood pressure when the blood pressure is over that of ninety percent of individuals of his/her age, gender and height.
The causes of hypertension are classed as primary or secondary. Primary means that it is all your body's fault and secondary means that the reason is something else, say, medication. Hypertension can also be caused by race or other hereditary reasons. Males of African ancestry are particularly at risk.
One of the things you can buy to keep you knowledgeable about your family's blood pressure worries is a home blood pressure monitor. These devices are fairly cheap and are very accurate, so buy an automatic digital monitor but take it to your medical doctor to make certain that it is accurate and ask for the readings that are applicable to all the members of your family.
The first number is the systolic arterial blood pressure, which means that it is the pressure read when your heart contracts, beats or pumps out blood. The second number is when the heart sucks in blood, ready to pump it out again.
These figures are given in millimetres of mercury and are stated in mmHg. Higher readings of either of these figures can indicate a problem. One thing to make patent here is that it is impossible to guess or estimate the pressure of your blood without using either a sphygmomanometer ( the one your doctor uses in the surgery), which is the gold standard of blood pressure monitoring units or a home blood monitoring machine.
Blood pressure can be affected by numerous things such as: time of the day, age, weight, height, mood, fitness, diet, level of activity and stress, which may or may not be part of 'white coat syndrome' amongst others. 'White coat syndrome' is the worry felt by individuals when they have to be examined by a physician. This applies to children more than to any other age group.
Blood pressure also changes during the day, so in order to acquire an accurate reading, it is necessary to take several all at the same time of day. It is also prudent to wait 45 minutes after drinking caffeine or ten minutes after arriving before taking a reading.
So, what is standard? The real answer, although it is annoying, is that only a medical doctor can tell you, but for an adult, they say that it is 120/80, for an adolescent it is 110/70 and for an infant it is 80/45.
However, while measuring and evaluating the blood pressure of adolescents, you have to bear in mind that age, sex and height matter. Therefore, an adolescent is said to have high blood pressure when the blood pressure is over that of ninety percent of individuals of his/her age, gender and height.
The causes of hypertension are classed as primary or secondary. Primary means that it is all your body's fault and secondary means that the reason is something else, say, medication. Hypertension can also be caused by race or other hereditary reasons. Males of African ancestry are particularly at risk.
One of the things you can buy to keep you knowledgeable about your family's blood pressure worries is a home blood pressure monitor. These devices are fairly cheap and are very accurate, so buy an automatic digital monitor but take it to your medical doctor to make certain that it is accurate and ask for the readings that are applicable to all the members of your family.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several of topics, but is currently involved with work on the cause of high blood pressure. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at High Blood Pressure Recipes.
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