High Blood Pressure; Hypertension

What is High Blood Pressure?

When you have your blood pressure taken, your health care provider is measuring the pressure, or tension, that blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels as it travels around the body. In a healthy person, this pressure is just enough for the blood to reach all the cells of the body, but not so much that it strains blood vessel walls.


Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
· A typical normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, or "120 over 80."
· The first number represents the pressure when the heart contracts.
· The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes.
· Blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg is considered high.

Generally, blood pressure will go up at certain times - for instance, if you smoke a cigarette, win the lottery, or witness a car crash - and will return to normal when the stressful or exciting event has passed.
But when blood pressure is high all the time, the continuous increased force on blood vessel walls can damage blood vessels and organs, including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain.

The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.