ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses more about what blood pressure is, how it is measured, and some of the complications associated with high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force inside the artery that determines the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body after it leaves the heart. A normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) is the top number when the heart pumps and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is the bottom number when the heart is relaxed. Both predict cardiovascular events. SBP predicts cardiovascular events best in patients over the age of 55 years, while the DBP predicts the risk of cardiovascular events best in patients under the age of 55 years. The blood pressure measured by the doctor or nurse may be measured by auscultation or by an oscillometric blood pressure machine. The 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring is the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension.
