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| + | == Sphygmomanometers == |
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| + | Blood pressure is a tricky thing. Although it can be easily read by just about anyone, the process of finding ones blood pressure can be a little tricky. For those people looking to get the most precise reading possible, an invasive procedure must be put into play. This means a device must be inserted into a person and the blood pressure must be read in that way. However, the most common way to measure blood pressure is to use something called a sphygmomanometer. This is normally referred to as a blood pressure cuff, since that is exactly what it is: a pressurized cuff that is attached around a person’s forearm. |
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| + | The cuff is usually placed around the upper left arm of a patient, at roughly the same vertical height as the person’s heart. The patient must be in an upright position for the cuff to read the blood pressure correctly, because only in this position does the blood flow through the body as it should. The cuff is then inflated until enough pressure is placed on the brachial artery there for a reading to occur. The systolic pressure is taken when the cuff begin to decrease. The doctor places a stethoscope against the elbow and listens to hear when the Korotkoff sounds begin. When they do, the systolic pressure is taken. The cuff continues to deflate until the sounds are heard no more. When this occurs, the doctor takes down the diatolic pressure. |
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| + | Two types of blood pressure cuffs are in existence: digital and manual. Both of these types have their ups and downs, though most people tend to use the digital blood pressure cuffs when they are taking their blood pressure at home or in a drug store. Digital cuffs are not only easier to use, they are also more practical in a noisy environment, since you don’t have to listen for the Korotkoff sounds in order to get a blood pressure reading. These cuff types actually measure the mean arterial pulse, and then derive both the systolic and diatolic pressures from that. The only downside is that they cannot be used in certain conditions pertaining to health problems some people encounter. Manual sphygmomanometers are much more precise than digital ones, though they take more skill to operate and therefore are normally used only by doctors. They involve having to manually pump the cuff as well as listening for the Korotkoff sounds, which some people find difficult to gauge. |
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| + | == Blood Pressure and Race == |
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| + | There are many different things that can put you at a greater risk for high blood pressure. If there is something in your life that makes it hard for your heart to work the right way that it should, you are going to experience high blood pressure, even if you are doing some things in the healthy way. However, one of the things that has long been felt by many in the medical community to be a factor in high blood pressure is your race. It has long been thought that there are some genetic factors that make one race more apt to have high blood pressure than another. While this might be true, there are certain things that you should try and do for yourself no matter what race you are. |
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| + | First of all, a big part of high blood pressure is the foods that we eat. If you come from a racial background that richly celebrates every occasion with meals that are high in fat and cholesterol, your entire family is going to see that they might have problems with high blood pressure. This might be something that is linked to race, because different races celebrate things in different ways, and the traditional cooking is much different from place to place, as well as from race to race. If you belong to a culture that has a tendency to eat foods often that are high in fat, you might want to consider changing the way that you cook on a day to day basis. If you still want to participate in your family functions and eat the foods that everyone else is eating, it is okay as long as this is only practiced in moderation. If you can cook for yourself every single day and eat foods that are low in fat and cholesterol, you are going to have a better chance of lowering your own high blood pressure. You can also encourage your family to use low fat substitutes when they are celebrating. Exercise plays a role as well. |
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| + | Certain blood pressure conditions are prevalent with certain races. If you are black or Hispanic, make sure you keep your blood pressure in check A number of more serious health conditions can occur if high blood pressure is not addressed, so if you are at risk, monitor it carefully, eat well, and exercise often. By doing these things, you can prevent high blood pressure, no matter what race you may be. |
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| + | == Pulse Pressure == |
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| + | There are many different forms of pressure that you should get checked as well as your blood pressure to keep yourself in good health. If this is not taken care of, some of the problems that could be happening may not be found in time for them to be treated correctly. One type of pressure that could be checked is your pulse pressure. This is going to be the change in blood pressure during a single contraction of the heart. There is a way to find the pulse pressure of a person easily. Pulse pressure can be taken into account when there is a problem with your blood pressure. It is a good indicator to some different types of heart problems. |
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| + | Because you know how important a pulse pressure is, it is time to talk about how to find out a person’s pulse pressure measurements. Normally, the pulse pressure is the systolic pressure minus the diastolic pressure. The following items can calculate it: stroke volume divided by compliance. Stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped out of a ventricle with each beat of the heart, as compliance is the standard regulation of beats. The resting pulse pressure in the average person is 40 mmHg and this could increase up to 100mmHg when a healthy adult is exercising. The numbers out of this range will show a possible health problem and you should talk to your doctor about it as soon as you can to avoid any kind of complications. |
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| + | It is very rare to get a pulse pressure reading of less than 40mmHg. The chances are if you receive one that is really lower than the others, you have just done the calculations wrong. If the pulse pressure is low usually, it reflects a low stroke volume and this means that your heart is not pumping out the right amount of blood that it is supposed to. This could be due to a very serious problem like congestive heart disorder or shock. |
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| + | If your pulse pressure is more than 40 mmHg, usually a reading between 60 and 80mmHg, there are few reasons that this may happen. This is an indicator of stiffness of the arteries, a leak in the aortic valve, and an extra path for the blood to go on from the arteries to the veins, hypothyroidism, or some kind of combination of these. It is something that should be discussed with your doctor if it is higher than average and of course, when you have lower pulse pressure than usual too. |
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| + | == Blood Pressure Influences == |
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| + | Fluid systems in the body are notorious for the high level of complexity in their physics. The circulatory system is no different, and it is because of this that there are so many different factors that could affect a person’s blood pressure. The rate the heart pumps to the viscosity of the blood itself, blood pressure has influences from multiple factors in the body. These factors may, in turn, be influenced by outside factors such as diet, exercise, disease, or drugs. This is because of this that blood pressure has an even greater number of indirect influencers. |
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| + | Let’s start by discussing probably the most influential factor associated with blood pressure: the rate of pumping, more commonly referred to as the heart rate. The average heart rate for a healthy human being runs between 70 and 75 beats per minute. The higher the heart rate is, the higher the blood pressure. Another physical factor related to blood pressure is the blood volume of the body. The more blood there is in the body, the higher the rate of blood return to the heart and the higher the blood pressure. There is a correlation between salt intake and blood volume in many people, though the amount to which it raises blood pressure varies. |
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| + | Resistance and viscosity are two other major influencing factors in blood pressure. Resistance here relates to the size of blood vessels as well as the smoothness of these vessels. There are things in the body that affect the size of blood vessels. Some make them thinner, which increases blood pressure, while others do the opposite. Fatty acids are responsible for the smoothness of blood vessels, because the more that is deposited on the walls, the less resistance there is. Viscosity, on the other hand, is the thickness of the blood flowing through the body. The thicker the blood is that’s pumping through a body’s veins, the higher the blood pressure will be. Certain illnesses affect the viscosity of blood, as well as the level of sugars in the blood. |
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| + | While thus far high blood pressure has been the effect of these factors, there are certainly ones that influence low blood pressure as well. Some causes of low blood pressure include sepsis, hemorrhaging, certain toxins, and hormonal abnormalities. On a lighter note, simply sitting and standing could lower blood pressure as well, though the factors that influence low blood pressure are usually more severe. |
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| + | == Blood Pressure and Drug Use == |
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| + | There is a lot of different talk about how thing that we do in life will affect our body. Using drugs is one of these things. Using drugs is going to be important depending on the amount and how often the drug use is going to occur. One of the things that are going to be a good target by your drug abuse is your blood pressure. You have to figure out that your blood pressure is something that can be dangerously damaged by your drug use. It is going to be very important that you know what this could mean in order to keep your body healthy. |
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| + | If you have high blood pressure, you are going to be more at risk for many different types health problems. Your body is not going to be healing well after an injury and it will not repair itself after being sick. Actually high blood pressure is something that can lead to a lot of trouble during your life and to help this from happening there are some things that you should think about doing. |
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| + | The first thing is that you should get a lot of exercise for your body. You need to be getting your heart pumping for a long period of time several times a week. This is a good way to keep your heart in shape and make sure that you are not going to develop high blood pressure. You will need to eat a good diet and stay away from high fat and cholesterols and that you should be doing whatever is healthier for your body when it comes to the food that you put in your mouth. |
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| + | Any kind of drug will have a huge impact on your blood pressure. If you are getting the right amount of exercise and eating well, you are still hurting your body if you are using drugs. You should know that when you put anything into your blood system it not only makes you feel good by getting you high, it will also do damage to all of your inside organs and all of the other parts of your body. Doing drugs will raise your blood pressure as well as do many other terrible things to you and your body. You need to think about this and remember that doing drugs is going to make your body sick and it will not get better. You do not want to have a drug problem and increase your chances of dying too early in life. This will happen if you continue to do drugs and not take care of your body and keep your blood pressure under control. |
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| == Treatments for High Blood Pressure == | | == Treatments for High Blood Pressure == |
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