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{{Infobox diagnostic
| name            = Blood pressure
| image           = File:Blood pressure monitoring.jpg
| alt             =
| caption         = A healthcare worker measuring blood pressure using [[sphygmomanometer]].
| DiseasesDB      =
| ICD10           =
| ICD9            =
| ICDO            =
| MedlinePlus     = 007490
| eMedicine       =
| MeshID          = D001795
| LOINC           = {{LOINC|35094-2}}
| HCPCSlevel2     =
| OPS301          =
| reference_range =
}}
'''Blood pressure''' is a [[measurement]] used in [[medicine]].  In the body, the [[arteries]] carry blood away from the [[heart]].  As blood travels through the arteries, it presses against the walls of the arteries.  Blood [[pressure]] measures how hard the blood is pushing against the walls of the arteries.<ref name=aha>{{cite web |url=http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Understanding-Blood-Pressure-Readings_UCM_301764_Article.jsp |title=Understanding Blood Pressure Readings |date=2014-08-04 |publisher=American Heart Association |accessdate=2015-01-03}}</ref>  

Usually, "blood pressure" measures the pressure in larger arteries delivering blood to body parts other than the [[lung]]s, like the [[brachial artery]] in the arm.  Blood pressure is usually measured <span>in </span>[[Torr|millimeters of mercury]]<span> (mmHg).</span>

There are two numbers in a blood pressure.  The first is the systolic pressure.  It measures how hard the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries when the heart is in [[Systole (medicine)|systole]] (beating and pushing out blood).  This is when the pressure against the walls of the arteries is highest.  The second number is the diastolic blood pressure.  It measures how hard the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries when the heart is in [[diastole]] (resting between beats and not pushing out any blood).  For example, in the picture on this page, the pressure on the walls of the arteries is 122 mmHg when the heart is beating, and 65 mmHg when the heart is resting.  This blood pressure would be written as "122/65" and read as "122 over 65."

[[Mean]] arterial pressure is a person's [[average]] blood pressure.  Pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures.<ref name=aha/>

To measure blood pressure, [[Medical doctor|doctors]] use a device called a [[sphygmomanometer]].

== Normal Blood Pressure ==
[[File:Digital Blood Pressure Monitor.jpg|thumb|right|A digital [[sphygmomanometer|blood pressure meter]] showing a blood pressure of 122 systolic and 65 diastolic, read as "122 over 65" or 122/65 mmHg.]]
Blood pressure is usually lower for children and gets higher as a person gets older.<ref name=aha/>

For healthy adult humans, the systolic blood pressure should be below 120, and the diastolic blood pressure should be below 80<span>.</span><ref>{{cite journal |author=Pesola GR, Pesola HR, ''et al.'' 2001 |title=The normal difference in bilateral indirect blood pressure recordings in normotensive individuals |journal=American Journal of Emergency Medicine |year=2001 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=43–5 |pmid=11146017 |doi=10.1053/ajem.2001.20021 |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9K-45SRDHC-C&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2001&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=74f2b32e088d88986cd307f6c7219331 |access-date=2009-04-04 |archive-date=2011-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405044837/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9K-45SRDHC-C&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2001&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=74f2b32e088d88986cd307f6c7219331 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  However, blood pressure can be very different for each person.  Blood pressure also changes naturally during the day (in a [[circadian rhythm]]).  It gets lower during sleep and gets higher when a person gets up.  It is lower when a person is resting and higher during activity.<ref name=hbp>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp |title=What is High Blood Pressure? |date=2012-08-02 |publisher=National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute |accessdate=2015-01-03}}</ref>    Many other things - like stress, disease, drugs, and what a person eats - can change blood pressure.<ref name=hbp/>  Even the stress of having blood pressure taken can make it higher.  This is called "white coat [[hypertension]]."<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/SymptomsDiagnosisMonitoringofHighBloodPressure/Home-Blood-Pressure-Monitoring_UCM_301874_Article.jsp
|title=Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
|publisher=American Heart Association
|accessdate=2013-02-14
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>

== Blood Pressure Problems ==
People can have health problems if their blood pressure is too high or too low.

=== High blood pressure ===
{{main|Hypertension}}

High blood pressure is called [[hypertension]].  A person has hypertension if their blood pressure is high and stays high over time.  Hypertension is very common.  About one in every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure.<ref name=hbp/>  Hypertension is sometimes called "the silent killer" because it often causes no [[symptom|symptoms]], so many people have high blood pressure without realizing that anything is wrong.<ref name=hbp/>  However, hypertension can hurt the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of the body.<ref name=age>{{cite journal|author=Lewington S, Clarke R, ''et al.'' 2002 |title=Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies.|journal=Lancet|year=2002|volume=360|issue=9349|pages=1903–13|pmid=12493255|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(02)11911-8|s2cid=54363452}}</ref>  It can cause serious health problems like [[heart attack]], [[stroke]], and [[kidney failure]].<ref name=age/>

=== Low blood pressure ===
{{main|Hypotension}}

Low blood pressure is called [[hypotension]].  If the blood pressure is too low, the heart, [[brain]], and other parts of the body do not get enough blood and [[oxygen]].<ref name=lbp>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hyp/signs.html|title=What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Hypotension?|date=November 1, 2010|work=nhlbi.nih.gov|publisher=[[National Institutes of Health]]|accessdate=2014-02-17}}</ref>  Low blood pressure can cause problems like dizziness and [[fainting]].  If a person's blood pressure is low enough, they can have [[seizure|seizures]], [[Unconsciousness|lose consciousness]], and even die.<ref name=lbp/>

==Related pages==
* [[Hypertension]]
* [[Hypotension]]
* [[Systole]]
* [[Diastole]]

== References ==
{{sisterlinks|Blood pressure}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Blood pressure| ]]

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