How blood pressure is measured?
The term blood pressure actually refers to two separate measurements: · systolic blood pressure is the highest pressure reached in the arteries as the heart pumps blood out for circulation through the body · diastolic blood pressure is the much lower pressure that occurs in the arteries when the heart relaxes to take blood in between beats If either or both of these measurements are above the range found in healthy individuals of similar age and sex, it’s called hypertension.
