HttpwikianswerscomQWhat do the two numbers recorded while mesuring blo od p ressure represent for instance a young adult might have a blood prusure of 12 over 80 t?

Answer 1

While statistically normal values for arterial pressure could be computed for any given population, there is often a large variability from person to person and it also varies in individuals from moment to moment. Additionally, since there's no guarantee the norm of the population in question should even be considered healthy, the relevance of such statistical values would be questionable. In a study of 100 subjects with no known history of hypertension, an average systolic blood pressure of 112.4 mm Hg and an average diastolic pressure of about 64.0 mm Hg was found.[12]

In children the observed normal ranges are lower; in the elderly, they are often higher, largely because of reduced flexibility of the arteries. Factors such as age, gender and race influence blood pressure values. Pressure also varies with exercise, emotional reactions, sleep, digestion and time of the day. In the U.S., the optimal arterial pressure (sometimes referred to as the 'gold standard') targets are:[13][14][15] * Systolic: less than 120 mmHg (16 kPa or 2.32 psi) * Diastolic: less than 80 mmHg (10 kPa or 1.55 psi) Levels above 120 mmHg (16 kPa) but below 140 mmHg (19 kPa) in systolic pressure, or above 80 (11 kPa) but below 95 mmHg (13 kPa) in diastolic pressure, are referred to as "prehypertensive" and often progress to frankly hypertensive levels. However studies already extant reveal that there are fewer complications at, e.g., 115 mmHg (15 kPa) systolic than 120 (16 kPa), and in fact arterial pressure is a continuum with decreasing pathology associated with lower levels to well within the current "optimum" range. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases progressively throughout the range of arterial pressure, beginning at 115/75 mm Hg.[16] "Some data indicates that 115/75 mm Hg should be the gold standard. Once arterial pressure rises above 115/75 mm Hg, the risk of cardiovascular disease begins to increase. Prehypertension is now considered to be a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 139 or a diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89." (Excerpts from Mayo Clinic website). In the past, hypertension was only diagnosed if secondary signs of high arterial pressure were present, along with a prolonged high systolic pressure reading over several visits. In the U.S., this reactive stance has been soundly rejected in the light of recent evidence. In the UK, mirroring abandoned earlier U.S. practice, nursing students continue to be taught that their patients' readings should be considered 'normal' if in the range: * Systolic: 110 - 140mmHg * Diastolic: 70 - 90 mmHg Clinical trials demonstrate that people who maintain arterial pressures at the low end of these pressure ranges have much better long term cardiovascular health. The principal medical debate is the aggressiveness and relative value of methods used to lower pressures into this range for those who don't maintain such pressure on their own. Elevations, more commonly seen in older people, though often considered normal, are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The clear trend from double blind clinical trials (for the better strategies and agents) has increasingly been that lower arterial pressure is found to result in less disease