Medical Term Definition
Blood Pressure
The force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels, especially the arteries.
Blood pressure changes as the heart pumps blood and as blood vessels constrict or relax. It is usually recorded as two numbers: systolic pressure, the pressure when the heart contracts, and diastolic pressure, the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats.
Blood pressure naturally varies with factors such as activity, stress, body position, sleep, medications, and time of day. Persistently elevated blood pressure can increase the risk of cardiovascular, kidney, and other diseases.
QUICK FACT
A single high blood-pressure reading does not necessarily mean a person has hypertension. Diagnosis generally depends on measurements taken appropriately and interpreted over time.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Hypertension: Blood pressure is a measurement; hypertension is a medical condition characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure.
SEE ALSO
Clinical & Educational Context
Discussed in Health Articles & Guides
Explore how "Blood Pressure" is covered across our evidence-based editorial guides:
5 Articles
Medicine without Jargon
This position may be particularly useful when: The mother is tired Mobility is limited by an epidural Blood pressure requires closer monitoring The healthcare...
The Hard Parts of Medicine
Some supplements can affect blood clotting, blood pressure, blood glucose, or the way the body processes certain medicines.
The Hard Parts of Medicine
Imagine opening a medicine cabinet and finding tablets for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol; medicines for pain or stomach discomfort; a vitamin supplement recommended...
Health in the Wild
The proposed pathway is not simply “noise damages the heart.” Instead, repeated noise exposure, particularly when it disrupts sleep or produces chronic stress responses,...
Unstraight Lines
And somewhere between
breakfast and blood pressure,
the day has already become
a schedule for staying alive.
