BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT BASICS

When your blood pressure is measured, two values are reported, such  as 120/80  (120  over  80). The  first measurement  is  systolic  pressure, the  maximum pressure when the heart is pumping. The second is diastolic pressure, the pressure when the heart is in the resting part of its pumping cycle. The units associated with these pressure measurements are torr.Blood pressure is measured using a pressure gauge attached to a closed, air-filled cuff applied like a tourniquet to the arm . The pressure gauge may be a mercury manometer or related device. A small pump is used to increase the pressure in the cuff until it is above the systolic pressure and therefore prevents blood from flowing. The pressure inside the cuff is slowly reduced until blood just begins to pulse through the artery, and the person measuring the pressure hears, through a stethoscope, a characteristic sound. At this point the pressure in the cuff equals the pressure that the blood exerts inside the artery. Reading the gauge gives the systolic pressure. The pressure in the cuff is then reduced further until the blood flows freely, indicated by another characteristic sound. The pressure at this point is the diastolic pressure.
Hypertension is  abnormally  high  blood  pressure. The  usual
criterion is a blood pressure greater than  ,The  usual criterion is a blood pressure greater than 140/90 , although recent studies  suggest  that  health  risks  increase  for  systolic  readings  above  120.
Hypertension  significantly  increases  the  workload  on  the  heart  and places a stress on the walls of the blood vessels throughout the body.These effects increase the risk of aneurysms, heart attacks, and strokes.

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How Glucometer Works???

Over 20 million Americans have diabetes, and globally the  number  approaches  172  million. Diabetes  is  a metabolic disorder in which the body either cannot produce or cannot properly use the hormone insulin. One signal that a person is diabetic is that the  concentration  of glucose  in  the  blood  is  higher  than  normal.Therefore, people who are diabetic need to measure their blood glu-
cose  concentrations  regularly. Untreated  diabetes  can  cause  severe complications such as blindness and loss of limbs. The body converts most of the food we eat into glucose. After digestion, glucose is delivered to cells via the blood. Cells need glucose  to  live, and  insulin  must  be  present  in  order  for  glucose  to enter the cells. Normally, the body adjusts the concentration of insulin automatically, in concert with the glucose concentration after eating. However, in a diabetic person, either little or no insulin is produced (Type 1 diabetes) or insulin is produced but the cells cannot  take  it up  properly  (Type  2  diabetes). The  result  is  that  theblood  glucose  concentration  is  too  high. People  normally  have  a range of 70–120 mg glucose per deciliter of blood. A person who
has not eaten for 8 hours or more is diagnosed as diabetic if his or
her glucose level is 126 mg > dL or higher. Glucose meters work by the introduction of blood from a person, usually by a prick of the finger, onto a small strip of paper that contains chemicals that react with glucose. Insertion of the strip into a  small  battery-operated  reader  gives  the  glucose  concentration. The mechanism of the readout varies from one monitor to another—it may be a measurement of a small electrical current or measurement of light produced in a chemical reaction.
Depending on the reading on any given day, a diabetic person may need to receive an injection of insulin or simply stop eating sweets for a while.