What Is Blood Pressure (BP)?
Blood pressure, abbreviated BP, is the pressure of the blood against the arterial walls.
Blood pressure results from the force of the heart that pumps the blood into the arteries, and the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow.
Why Are Two Values in the Blood Pressure Reading?
Blood pressure is expressed with two values, separated by a slash and with a unit (mm Hg), for example 125/85 mm Hg; pronounced “125 over 85 millimeters of mercury” (according to height of a column in a blood pressure monitor).
- The first (higher) value (125) represents blood pressure during the heart contraction (systole in Greek) and is called systolic blood pressure
- The second (lower) value (85) represents blood pressure during the heart relaxation (diastole in Greek) and is called diastolic blood pressure
continue reading What Is Normal Blood Pressure Range? Blood Pressure Chart
