Why diastolic pressure is more significant than systolic?

Question

It is said that the reading of diastolic pressure is more important than systolic pressure....Why is it so?

Answer 1

This is not actually so. To quote from another source:

"In the past, most attention was paid to diastolic pressure; but nowadays it is recognised that both high systolic pressure and high pulse pressure (the numerical difference between systolic and diastolic pressures) are also risk factors."

Or, to put it a more obvious way, if only one number was really important, why would anyone bother writing down two? The systolic number tells you about how hard the heart works at maximum, and the diastolic can tell you about the minimum flow and the quality of your veins. Those are both rather obviously good things to know!

Answer 2

The diastolic pressure is that pressure that your arteries and arterioles are under ALL THE TIME. The systolic pressure is that which is caused by the heart superimposed on the diastolic. Normal diastolic is less than 90; normal systolic is approximately 100 + your age.

Answer 3

Very simply put:
Diastolic is considered more important because it is the pressure at which blood first leaves the heart. If the pressure is high, it can indicate that the heart is trying to work extra hard to get the blood to exit, which can mean that there is something wrong with either the heart or the arteries from the heart.