{"id":4086,"date":"2021-11-30T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthdrum.com\/blog\/?p=4086"},"modified":"2022-07-19T19:36:16","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T19:36:16","slug":"blood-pressure-bp-what-it-is-and-how-much-it-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthdrum.com\/blog\/blood-pressure-bp-what-it-is-and-how-much-it-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood Pressure (BP) – What it is and How much it costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blood pressure is a measure of heart pumping pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is blood pressure?
\n<\/b>Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood circulating in your arteries.<\/span>
\n<\/span>It is produced mostly by the contracting heart. The top measurement is the systolic pressure when the heart is at maximum contraction. The diastolic reading is the bottom number and is the pressure when the heart muscle is relaxed between beats. Blood pressure commonly fluctuates throughout the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is considered normal blood pressure?
\n<\/b>A normal blood pressure is about 120\/80.
\n<\/span>Anything over a consistent level of about 120\/80 for adults is considered to be
\n<\/span>hypertension. Especially, when over 130\/90 and persistent.
\n<\/span>Children have a much lower normal BP.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is blood pressure measured?
\n<\/b>Ideally, BP measurements should be taken throughout the day and over several days rather than relying on a single BP measurement taken in the doctor’s office.
\n<\/span>The patient should sit relaxed.
\n<\/span>The cuff and manometer should be at about the level of your heart.
\n<\/span>The cuff size should be at least two thirds as long as the distance between your shoulder and elbow. Small cuffs will give you a false high blood pressure reading.<\/span><\/p>\n

BP varies throughout the day and night and periodic monitoring over several days is important in order to determine whether you have raised blood pressure or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is high blood pressure or hypertension?
\n<\/b>High blood pressure or hypertension is also known as the silent killer because it can lead to some major medical problems without you having symptoms. This is the easiest and cheapest potentially life-saving condition that you can screen for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the causes of raised BP or hypertension?
\n<\/b>Most commonly (primary or essential hypertension) is related to:
\n<\/span>poor lifestyle choices, poor diet, being overweight, smoking, stress, family history and age (arteries less elastic).<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondary hypertension has an identifiable cause such as:<\/span><\/p>\n