What does a blood pressure reading mean?

Question

For example if someone had a blood pressure of 60/100, what would the first and second figures mean exactly?
And can you give me an example of an average, low and high blood pressure reading?

If I wanted information from wikipedia I would have just gone there....

Answer 1

Wiki: Blood Pressure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

First of all you have the numbers upside down! The bigger one goes on the top, it is called the systolic and is the pressure in an artery as the heart contracts. The bottom, lower number is called the diastolic, and is is when the heart relaxes.

Average normal in an adult is 120/80. As the levels rise there is increasing risk that a blood vessel, especially in the brain, will pop, causing a stroke. High pressures also damage the kidneys. This is why we try and reduce them with medication.

If, without medication your blood pressure is less than 120/80 this is almost extra good, since patients like this have a less than average stroke risk, though they may be slightly more prone to lightheadedness.

Answer 4

Right for a start there is no such thing as normal BP (blood pressure). The average BP in the general population is 120/80 - 120 systolic, 80 diastolic. It is expressed as systolic over diastolic (120/80). It is more important to know what the individuals base line is.
Systolic is the peak pressure in the arteries during the cardiac cycle and the diastolic is the lowest pressure in the arteries during the cardiac cycle. The mesurements are measured in mmHg (millimeters of Mercury).
The blood pressure is affected by many factors such as age, temperature, health, stress, drugs ,nutritional factors and disease. This gives a general overview of the cardiovascular system and it's health. In general it is better to have a lower blood pressure than a higher blood pressure. this however needs to be taken in context, that is to say that most organs in the body need a certain pressure to ensure they receive enough blood to supply them with oxygen and nutrients to survive. This is called perfusion pressure

Answer 5

Blood pressure is the pressure of the circulating blood against the walls of the arteries, the veins, and the chambers of the heart. Blood pressure results from two forces: One created by the heart as it pumps blood into the arteries through the circulatory system, and the other is the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow.

Blood pressure is expressed in two figures.
a) on contraction- the systolic pressure
b) on relaxation- the diastolic pressure.

A normal blood pressure, in an adult of normal weight for height and at rest, is around 120 over 80. A high blood pressure is around 140 over 90, and a very high blood pressure is around 200 over 100.

Answer 6

3 years ago, I was diagnosed - hypertension with a reading of 160/100. I used to feel dizzy a lot, my legs had awful cramps, and levels were very low in my potassium, causing my fingers and toes to always cramp together. One day I started to feel really faint while I was driving with my daughter in the back seat and I passed out, hitting 3 cars and ending up in a ditch. That moment,I knew I had to do something because my meds weren't working. I heard about this diet from a friend and thought I'd give it a shot. The results have been remarkable. In just 21 days, I honestly can't remember feeling this good, my blood pressure went from 175/110 to 125/70.

Answer 7

Sometimes these are inaccurate and give false readings especially if they a are handheld cheap devises, try going to Walmart or somewhere where they have a big one those are more accurate but still make mistakes, Oh and that means the amount of beets your heart pumps ina minute, and if its over 140 its hight blood pressure, and hight blood pressure means you are at increased risk for many illnesses, for exaple like kidney problems, strokes, heart problems etc...