INTRODUCTION    BLOOD TYPE  HEALTH TOPICS   

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

BLOOD CHOLESTEROL 

ANEMIA

What it is all about?

  It is a measurement of force applied against the walls of the arties as the heart pumps blood through the body. The force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arties determine the pressure. The blood pressure is continually changing depending on activity, temperature, diet, emotional state, physical state and drugs.

Causes of high pressure

  Prime culprits are kidney diseases. A sudden stoppage of breathing during sleeping in older men is called Sleep apnea leading to high pressure but might be vice-verse no one knows. That’s why high blood pressure is tough to fight and made difficult to give prescriptions to the patients.

How the test is performed?

  The blood pressure is taken when the person is seating down with one of the arms resting on the table and slightly bent. The upper arm must be removed of clothes.

  Blood pressure is always given as 2 numbers: 110 over 70 (written as 110/70). Maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts and is represented first number is called systolic blood pressure. The second number is called the diastolic blood pressure reading and it represents the pressure in the arties when the heart is at rest.

  To perform the blood pressure measurement, the upper arm is wrapped snugly around by the blood pressure cuff and positioned so that the end of the cuff is 1 inch above the bend of the elbow. The large artery on the inside of the elbow is located by feeling for the pulse. The end of the stethoscope is placed over the artery below the cuff. It should not rub the cuff or any clothing because it can make noises that will block out the pulse sounds. Correct positioning of the stethoscope is important to get an accurate recording.

The valve on the rubber inflating bulb is closed. The cuff is inflated by squeezing the bulb rapidly until the dial or column of mercury reads 30 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) higher than the usual systolic pressure. If the usual systolic pressure is unknown, inflate to 210 mm Hg.

Opening the valve slightly to allow the pressure to fall gradually (2 to 3mm Hg per second). As the pressure falls, the level on the dial or mercury tube at which the pulsing is first heard is recorded. This is the systolic pressure. As the air continues to be let out, the sounds will disappear. The point at which the sound disappears is recorded. This is the diastolic pressure (the lowest amount of pressure in the arties as the heart rests).

This procedure may be repeated for more than two times.

How to prepare for the test?

The test can be done at any time. When it is performed for comparison purposes, it is usually done after resting for at least for 5 minutes. One needs to have a blood pressure cuff and a device for detecting the pulse in the artery.