Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is a measure of the pressure created on the blood vessels'
walls by the blood which is circulating in the body through the veins and
arteries. Blood pressure usually refers to the arterial pressure in the
larger arteries which take blood away from the heart.
The systolic arterial pressure is the peak pressure in the arteries and is
the first number given in a blood pressure reading. The diastolic arterial
pressure is the lowest pressure and is the second reading given. The
average pressure is known as the mean arterial pressure.
The average readying for a healthy adult is 120/80. These rates
fluctuate depending on the level of activity or stress a person is under.
Hypertension is the term for abnormally high blood pressure while hypotension
is the term for a person with abnormally low blood pressure.
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