ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted on the artery walls while blood flows through the arteries. The pressure measured when the heart contracts and sends blood out of the heart is systolic (highest) blood pressure. The pressure measured when the heart dilates with blood flowing back into the heart is called diastolic (lowest) blood pressure.
Why Measure Your Blood Pressure?
Among today’s various health problems, those associated with high blood pressure are very common. High blood pressure dangerously correlates with cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, blood pressure monitoring is important for identifying those at risk.
BLOOD PRESSURE STANDARD
The table on page 6 is criteria for hypertension that is publicly available from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html). Users
can compare their own blood pressure readings against these established criteria to determine if they may be potentially at increased risk.
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Category | Systolic (mmHg) |
| Diastolic (mmHg) |
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Normal | Less than 120 | and | Less than 80 |
Prehypertension | or | ||
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High Blood Pressure |
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Stage 1 | or | ||
Stage 2 | 160 or higher | or | 100 or higher |
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This table is applicable to most adults aged 18 and older. Blood pressure tends to go up and down, even in people who normally don’t have high readings. If your numbers stay above the “normal” range most of the time, you may be at increased risk and should consult your physician. Although one can easily find where their own blood pressure readings fall on this table, this monitor comes equipped with a Risk Category Index that automatically compares each reading to this criteria and provides a helpful cue if your reading falls into one of the stages that could potentially indicate increased risk. See page 21 for more information on this feature.
Please note that cues provided by this monitor are only intended to assist you in using this table. The table and cues are only provided for convenience to have access to the NIH information. They are not a substitute for a medical examination by your physician. It is important for you to consult with your physician regularly. Your physician will tell you your normal blood pressure range as well as the point at which you may actually be considered to be at risk.
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5/01/10 1:27 PM