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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 contains defined levels for hypertension
that are 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 defined levels to determine if they
may be potentially at increased risk.
This table is applicable to most adults aged 18 and older.
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