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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