Blood pressure is the measure of the force on the artery walls as the heart pumps blood through the body.
How the test is performed
Sit in a chair with your back supported. The legs should not be crossed and the feet on the floor.
Your arm should be supported so that the top is level with the heart.
Roll up the sleeve so that the arm is bare.
Make sure the sleeve is not rolled up and tighten the arm.
Wrap the blood pressure cuff snugly around the upper arm. The bottom edge of the cuff should be approximately 1 inch above the crease of the elbow.
ā¢ The cuff will be inflated rapidly. This is done by pumping the compression bulb or pressing a button on the device. You will feel a tension around your arm.
ā¢ Thereafter, the cuff valve is opened slightly, allowing the pressure to slowly decrease.
ā¢ When the pressure decreases, the reading when the tapping sound is heard for the first time is recorded. This is the systolic pressure.
ā¢ As the air continues to escape, the sounds will disappear. The point where the sound stops is recorded. This is the diastolic pressure.
Inflating the cuff too slowly or not inflating it to a high enough pressure can cause a incorrect reading. If you loosen the valve too much, you won’t be able to measure your blood pressure.
How to prepare for the test
Before measuring blood pressure:
ā¢ Rest for at least 5 minutes, 10 minutes is best, before taking your blood pressure.
ā¢ DO NOT measure your blood pressure when you are stressed, have been drinking caffeine or smoking tobacco in the past 30 minutes, or have been exercising recently.
Do 2 or 3 readings in one sitting. Take the readings 1 minute away. Stay seated. When checking your blood pressure yourself, note the time of the readings.
What the Ministry of Health says
āBlood pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the artery wall. With each heartbeat, blood exits the left ventricle through the aortic valve, passes into the aorta, and spreads to all arteries. When the heart contracts and blood passes into the arteries, the highest blood pressure is recorded, called systolic or “maximum”. Between one beat and the next, the heart fills with blood and the lowest blood pressure is recorded inside the arteries, called diastolic or “minimal”. The blood pressure measurement is recorded at the peripheral level, usually in the arm, and is indicated by two numbers indicating the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, measured in millimeters of mercury (eg 120/80 mmHg).
When the systolic and / or diastolic blood pressure values āāexceed 140 (for the maximum) and / or 90 (for the minimum), we speak of arterial hypertension.
It is estimated that about 18% of Italians suffer from hypertension, with a prevalence that progressively increases with increasing age until it exceeds 50% over 74 years of life. To these must be added people who are unaware that they are hypertensive. Regularly checking blood pressure and maintaining it within the recommended levels through the adoption of healthy lifestyles and taking specific therapies where necessary, is essential for health, as this condition represents the most important risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, aneurysms, peripheral arteriopathies, chronic renal failure, retinopathies and diseases related to aging (memory disorders, disabilities).
According to the classification reported in the 2018 Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), a systolic blood pressure lower than 120 mmHg and a diastolic pressure lower than 80 mmHg, above the 140 mmHg maximum and / or 90 mmHg minimum one is hypertensive, while one speaks of isolated systolic hypertension when it is only the maximum that is high (i.e. ā„140 mmHg).ā
Blood pressure measurement at home is a convenient way to keep blood pressure under control. Nevertheless’ in case of doubts about the results, about the method used, the doctor, nurse or pharmacist are irreplaceable professionals and are prepared to give you information on the matter.
A correct measurement will lead to a correct intake of the therapies
Sitography:
– HERE
– Ministry of Health
– Higher Institute of Health
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Roberto Pioppo