When Dr. Tanquilut or Dr. Pradhan measure your blood pressure, they record two numbers. If those numbers are above 120/80, you’ll be told you have high blood pressure. If they are below 90/60, our doctors will be concerned that your blood pressure is too low.
While that all sounds reasonable, have you ever thought about what those numbers actually mean? What do they really indicate? And why are they important to your vascular health?
The top, or first, number is your systolic blood pressure. Your heart pushes blood through your arteries when it contracts, creating pressure on the walls of those arteries.
The bottom or second number is your diastolic pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between contractions.
The pressure gauge, which is a glass tube of mercury, and cuff, called a sphygmomanometer, is wrapped around your arm and then inflated. The goal of this inflation is to stop your pulse very briefly. As the cuff deflates, your doctor will listen with a stethoscope for the “Korotkoff sounds” in your arteries. When the sounds begins, your doctor will note at the level of mercury in the gauge, which is your top number. When the sounds end, the level of mercury is noted again, resulting in your bottom number. Those numbers, top and bottom, translate to millimeters of rising mercury in that gauge.
When your blood pushes against your arteries too strongly, it’s just like too much air in a tire. At some point, arteries are going to “pop”, leading to stroke or heart disease, vision problems or kidney failure.
Family history can play a large part in your risk of high blood pressure. Even those who maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, don’t smoke and watch their salt intake can require treatment for high blood pressure. Other factors include:
Protect your vascular system by having your blood pressure regularly checked by your family doctor, Dr. Tanquilut and Dr. Pradhan. If you are at risk, check it often yourself at your local pharmacy. Track your results and share them with your physicians. If you have any questions about your blood pressure or your vascular health, just call us at 815-824-4406. We are always happy to spend time answering your questions!
