Blood Pressure

                                                                 Blood pressure

Introduction

Usually referred to as arterial blood pressure is defined as the pressure exerted through the circulation of blood upon blood vessels and their walls. It varies between systolic which is the maximum blood pressure and diastolic which is the minimum blood pressure.

This pressure depends highly on blood flow from one place to another in the entire circulation and eventually this determines the flow resistance offered by blood vessels. As blood circulation furthers away from the heart through capillaries and arteries, the mean blood pressure reduces due to loss of energy.

Other forces that affect pressure of blood include gravity through hydrostatic forces, breathing and valves in the veins.

As skeletal muscles contract and causes pumping of blood, pressure of blood is also altered. This pressure can be measured at an individual’s upper arm and thus generally pressure measurement in the major artery in the upper arm called the brachial artery.

This pressure is quantified in terms of systolic over diastolic pressure and its units are in millimeters of mercury usually appearing as mm-Hg.

An example is 130/90 indicating 130mmHg of systolic pressure and 90mmHg of diastolic pressure. 

Pressure of blood is usually controlled by the endocrine and nervous systems. If it is at a low value, pathologically, it is expressed as hypotension while when it is pathologically high, it is known as hypertension.

The table below indicates the classification of pressure of blood for healthy adults.

Category                                                  Systolic(mmHg)                                       diastolic(mmHg)

Hypertensive emergency                    above or equal to 180                          above or equal to 110

2^nd Stage Hypertension                         160-179                                                  100-109

1^st Stage Hypertension                          140-159                                                     90-99

Prehypertension                                     120-139                                                     80-89

Hypotension                                            below 90                                                   below 60

Desired (Hypotension)                             90-119                                                     60-79

Types of hypertension

There are a variety of blood pressure types, which include:

·        Malignant hypertension.

·        Renal hypertension.

·        Secondary hypertension.

Causes of hypertension

There are different causes of hypertension, in which, more than 50% is caused by lifestyle traits. They are the following:

·        Obesity.

·        Excessive smoking.

·        Excessive intake of dietary salt in food.

·        History in the family as having hypertension.

·        Lack of proper or any physical activity.

·        Old age.

·        Stress.

·        Chronic disorders such as kidney disease, thyroid and adrenal disorders.

Prevention of hypertension

Although these are day to day attachments and are rare to avoid, there is a number of practices one can take to prevent and cure high blood pressure. They include:

·         Undertaking regular, adequate exercise or physical activity for more than 30 minutes.

·         Proper screening and regular check-ups by your physician.

·         Healthy dietary practices such as eating fruits and vegetables amidst meals.