Blood Pressure Screenings
During every visit to CCMA, a qualified health professional will check your blood pressure. This quick, painless test uses an sphygmomanometer (SFIG'mo-mah-NOM'eh-ter), or a rubber cuff, to compress a large artery in the arm, momentarily stopping the blood flow. Your health professional uses a stethoscope to hear when the air pressure in the cuff is less than pressure in the artery.
Blood pressure is at its highest when the heart is pumping blood – called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, blood pressure falls. This is diastolic pressure. When written down, the systolic pressure is the first number and the diastolic pressure is the second number (Example: 120/80). A blood pressure reading below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Treatment for hypertension has a lot to do with you. Along with taking medications, your CCMA physician will advise you to stop all use of tobacco products, eat low-fat, healthier foods and increase physical activity. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and eye disease.
People at greater risk for high blood pressure include those with a family history, African-Americans, males, women on birth control and adults over the age of 50. Those who are over-weight or use tobacco products also are at increased risk.
Some people have really low blood pressure called hypotension. This happens when blood pressure falls enough that blood cannot reach the brain. The person becomes dizzy and faints, most commonly when they stand up or sit up too quickly. Acute hypotension results from serious illnesses such as severe infections, heart attacks, or severe dehydration. More commonly mild hypotension responds to readjustment to dosages of blood pressure medications.
Sources: National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association