What do the numbers of a blood pressure reading mean?
Your blood pressure reading includes two numbers, for example 120/80. The top number (systolic pressure) is the pressure when the heart contracts and sends out blood. The bottom number (diastolic pressure) is the pressure when the blood flows into the heart, which is resting. While your blood pressure may vary at times, if it is repeatedly at 140/85 or higher, you have hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure. That means your heart has to work harder than normal to pump blood in and out, putting your heart and arteries under a greater strain. What are the risks of having high blood pressure? If you have high blood pressure and it goes untreated, it puts you at increased risk for developing kidney disease, coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke (brain attack). Because high blood pressure doesn’t have any symptoms, many people don’t know they have it. It’s important to have your blood pressure checked by a doctor every six months or more often if you have a f
