Upper And Lower Pressure: What It Means, What It Shows, Decoding

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

What does the upper and lower pressure mean and how to correctly measure

The content of the article:

What does blood pressure mean and its indicators
How to measure blood pressure correctly
Causes and consequences of high blood pressure
Video

Upper and lower pressure (systolic and diastolic) are indicators that represent two components of blood pressure (BP). They can decrease or increase independently of each other, but more often they change synchronously. Any deviations from the norm indicate any disturbances in the activity of the body and require an examination of the patient in order to identify the cause.

The upper pressure is determined at the moment of compression of the heart, and the lower - at the moment of its maximum relaxation

In this article, we will try to explain in simple language, understandable for a person without special education, what lower and upper pressure mean.

What does blood pressure mean and its indicators

Blood pressure is the force with which the blood flow acts against the walls of blood vessels. In medicine, blood pressure is most often understood as arterial pressure, but in addition to it, venous, capillary and intracardiac blood pressure are also distinguished.

At the time of the heartbeat, which is called systole, a certain volume of blood is released into the circulatory system, which puts pressure on the walls of the vessels. This pressure is called upper, or systolic (heart). Its value is influenced by the strength and heart rate.

The portion of blood ejected by the heart moves through the vessels, while experiencing resistance from the walls of the blood vessels. The level of this resistance forms the lower blood pressure, or diastolic (vascular). This parameter of blood pressure depends on the elasticity of the vascular walls. The more elastic they are, the less resistance arises in the path of blood flow and, accordingly, the faster and more efficiently the heart muscle relaxes. Thus, the lower pressure shows how efficiently the vascular network functions in the human body.

The parameters of normal blood pressure in an adult are in the range of 91-139 / 61-89 mm Hg. Art. (millimeters of mercury). At the same time, in young people, the numbers are more often approaching the minimum, and in older people - to the maximum.

We figured out what the upper and lower blood pressure is responsible for. Now a few words should be said about another important parameter of blood pressure - pulse pressure (not to be confused with pulse). It is the difference between the high pressure reading and the low pressure reading. The limits of the pulse pressure norm are 30-50 mm Hg. Art.

Deviation of pulse pressure from the normal values indicates the presence of diseases of the cardiovascular system (valve regurgitation, atherosclerosis, impaired myocardial contractility), thyroid gland and severe iron deficiency in the patient. However, a slightly increased or decreased pulse pressure in itself does not yet indicate the presence of certain pathological processes in the patient's body. That is why the decoding of this indicator (however, like any others) should be done only by a doctor, taking into account the general condition of the person, the presence or absence of clinical symptoms of the disease.

How to measure blood pressure correctly

Upper and lower blood pressure can change not only due to various disorders in the body, but also under the influence of a number of external factors. For example, it can be increased by:

stress;
physical exercise;
plentiful food;
smoking;
alcohol abuse;
"White coat syndrome" or "white coat hypertension" - an increase in blood pressure when measured by medical personnel in patients with a labile nervous system.

Therefore, a single increase in blood pressure is not considered a manifestation of arterial hypertension.

The pressure measurement algorithm is as follows:

The patient sits down and places his hand on the table, palm up. In this case, the elbow joint should be located at the level of the heart. The measurement can also be taken while lying on your back on a flat surface.
The arm is wrapped with a cuff so that its lower edge does not reach the upper edge of the elbow fold by about 3 cm.
Fingers grope in the ulnar fossa for the place where the pulsation of the brachial artery is determined, and the phonendoscope membrane is applied to it.
Air is quickly injected into the cuff, to a value exceeding 20-30 mm Hg. Art. systolic pressure (the moment when the pulse disappears).
Open the valve and slowly release the air, carefully observing the tonometer scale.
The appearance of the first tone (corresponding to the upper blood pressure) and the last (lower blood pressure) tone is noted.
Remove the cuff from the arm.

If, when measuring, the blood pressure indicators turned out to be too high, then the procedure should be repeated after 15 minutes, and then after 4 and 6 hours.

At home, the determination of blood pressure is much easier and more convenient to carry out using an automatic tonometer. Modern devices not only accurately measure systolic and diastolic pressure, pulse rate, but also store the data obtained in memory for further analysis by a specialist.

Causes and consequences of high blood pressure

The value of upper blood pressure is determined by the following main factors:

left ventricular stroke volume;
the maximum rate of ejection of blood into the aorta;
heart rate;
elasticity of the walls of the aorta (their ability to stretch).

Thus, the value of systolic pressure directly depends on the contractile ability of the heart and the state of large arterial vessels.

Lower blood pressure is affected by:

the degree of patency of the peripheral arteries;
heart rate;
elasticity of the walls of blood vessels.

Lower, or systolic, pressure is often called renal. This is due to the fact that the kidneys release into the bloodstream renin, a biologically active substance that increases the tone of peripheral vessels and, accordingly, diastolic blood pressure.

High blood pressure recorded in at least three measurements is called arterial hypertension. This condition, in turn, can be both an independent disease (hypertension), and a symptom inherent in a number of other pathologies, for example, chronic glomerulonephritis.

High blood pressure may indicate diseases of the heart, kidneys, endocrine system. Clarification of the cause that led to the development of arterial hypertension is the prerogative of the doctor. The patient undergoes a thorough laboratory and instrumental examination, which makes it possible to identify the factors that led to a change in the parameters in this particular clinical case.

Arterial hypertension requires treatment, which is often very lengthy, sometimes it is carried out throughout the patient's life. The main principles of therapy are:

Leading a healthy lifestyle.
Taking antihypertensive drugs.

Medication for high upper and / or lower pressure should only be performed by a physician. At the same time, it is necessary to strive to reduce blood pressure in young people to the level of 130/85 mm Hg. Art., and in the elderly up to 140/90 mm Hg. Art. You should not seek to achieve a lower level, since this may lead to a deterioration in the blood supply to vital organs and, above all, to the brain.

The automatic tonometer is very convenient, it shows the upper and lower blood pressure, pulse, and also saves data

The main rule of antihypertensive drug therapy is the regularity of medication. Even a short-term cessation of the course of treatment, not coordinated with the attending physician, threatens the development of a hypertensive crisis and related complications (cerebral stroke, myocardial infarction, retinal detachment).

In the absence of treatment, arterial hypertension leads to damage to many organs and systems, on average, reduces life expectancy by 10-15 years. Most often, its consequences are:

disorders of visual function;
acute and chronic disorders of cerebral circulation;
chronic renal failure;
the occurrence and progression of atherosclerosis;
remodeling of the heart (changing its size and shape, the structure of the cavities of the ventricles and atria, functional and biochemical properties).