A blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure that being exerted by the blood through the arteries and because blood move like a wave there are two blood pressure that we need to know about: Systolic pressure- force of the blood that make the ventricle contract but that will depend on the pressure made by blood wave and Diastolic pressure- the ventricles is at rest and it is always present in the arteries.
Blood pressure is being measured in millimeter of mercury or mmHg which means for healthy adult
blood pressure must be at 120/80 mmHg. However the number will depend on the condition of each
individual. It is important that we know our baseline blood pressure. In case that there is unusual result
such as 120/100 mmHg we must inform our doctor so that he or she can treat it right away.
Blood pressure is a result of several things such as:
pumping in the heart – when the pumping in our heart is weak it only means that there is a less blood
that is being pumped in our arteries as a result decrease blood pressure however if the pumping is fast
and strong the blood pressure increase because of the amount of the blood that enters in the arteries.
Peripheral Vascular Resistance- Peripheral resistance can increase blood pressure because the diastolic
is affected due to the resistance of blood flow from our arteries. The arterioles and the capillaries are
the main factors why blood flows are being affected and it increases the vasoconstriction that resulted
to high blood pressure. It is mostly common to middle age and elderly adults.
Blood Volume- blood volume decreases because of hemorrhage or dehydration the blood pressure
will decrease because of less fluid in the arteries. Blood pressure increases due to rapid intravenous
infusion.
Blood Viscosity- When the blood is thick or viscous blood pressure will be higher because the proportion
of the red blood cell is much higher than the plasma.
There are several factors that affect blood pressure for example:
Age- newborn babies must have a systolic pressure of 75mmHg and pressure will be increase until they
reach puberty. For older people the elasticity of their arteries decreased which means it produces
elevated blood pressure. Race- According to study African male ages 35 years old and above has a
higher blood pressure compared to European American males. The reason is still unknown up to
now. Obesity- children and adult is predisposed in high blood pressure that resulted to hypertension.
Medication- there is certain medications that can elevate or decreases blood pressure.
In short there is no known cause why we have an increase blood pressure. We just need to be careful
when it comes to our intake every day. Regular exercise can help prevent high blood pressure and we
have to monitor our blood pressure even though there is nothing wrong in our body. Visit your doctor
regularly to check your blood pressure and treat it right away if there is a discrepancy in your blood
pressure.