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ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE
What Is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the walls of the
arteries. Systolic pressure occurs when the heart contracts; diastolic
pressure occurs when the heart expands. Blood pressure is measured in
millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
What Affects Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is affected by many factors: age, weight, time of day,
activity level, climate, altitude and season. Certain activities can signifi-
cantly alter one's blood pressure. Walking can raise systolic pressure by
12 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 5.5 mmHg. Sleeping can decrease
systolic blood pressure by as much as 10 mmHg. Taking your blood
pressure repeatedly without waiting an interval of 5 minutes between
readings, or without raising your arm to allow blood to flow back to the
heart, can also affect it.
In addition to these factors, beverages containing caffeine or alcohol,
certain medications, emotional stress and even tight-fitting clothes can
make a difference in the readings.
What Causes variations In Blood Pressure?
An individual's blood pressure varies greatly from day to day and season
to season. For hypersensitive individuals, these variations are even more
pronounced. Normally, blood pressure rises during work or play and falls
to its lowest levels during sleep.
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Assessing High Blood Pressure for Adults
The following standards for assessing high blood pressure (without
regard to age or gender) have been established as a guideline. Please note
that other risk factors (e.g. diabetes, obesity, smoking, etc.) need to be
taken into consideration and may affect these figures. Consult with your
physician for an accurate assessment.
JNC7 Classification Table – for adults within the U .S
BP Classification
Normal
Prehypertension
Stage 1 Hypertension
greater than
Stage 2 Hypertension
or equal to
SOURCE: The seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, evaluation and Treatment
of high Blood pressure for adults. National heart, lung and Blood Institute - May 2003.
WHO Classification Table – for adults outside of the U .S .
(e .g . Canada, Mexico)
BP Classification
Optimal
Normal
High-Normal
Stage 1 Hypertension
Stage 2 Hypertension
Stage 3 Hypertension
greater than
or equal to
SOURCE: standards to assess high blood pressure, without regard to age or gender, have been
established by the World health organization (Who).
In Canada–Auto Control Medical (Toll-Free): 1-800-461-0991
ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE
Systolic (mmHg)
Diastolic (mmHg)
less than 120
and less than 80
120-139
or
80-89
140-159
or
90-99
greater than
160
or
or equal to
Systolic (mmHg)
Diastolic (mmHg)
less than 120
and less than 80
less than 130
or
less than 85
130-139
or
85-89
140-159
or
90-99
160-179
or
100-109
greater than
180
or
or equal to
100
110
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