BRAUN – Media Backgrounder EN - KAZ Europe

KAZ SA’S GUIDE TO HYPERTENSION AND BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORS
1. What is Hypertension?
Hypertension is a very common health threat and is the medical condition of having consistently
high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on artery walls as it circulates
through the body. Blood fills arteries to a certain capacity, like air in a tyre. If there is too much
air, the air pressure can damage the tyre. In the same way, high blood pressure can damage
arteries and lead to life-threatening diseases.
A doctor must diagnose hypertension, but blood pressure can be tracked at home with a home
blood pressure monitor. If the readings over a period of time are persistently above given limits,
users should consult their doctor immediately.
2. The readings - systolic and diastolic pressure
Blood pressure monitors give two readings: systolic and diastolic pressure. The values are
expressed in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Most blood pressure monitors also show the heart
rate.
Systolic pressure is the maximum blood pressure. It represents the pressure on the arteries
when the heart contracts and pumps blood into them. Diastolic pressure is the minimum blood
pressure, which is recorded when the heart relaxes after contracting and draws blood back into
its chambers. For further information, refer to www.medicinenet.com or www.medterms.com.
According to the World Health Organization, hypertension occurs when consistent readings of
over 140/90 mmHg (this is read as “140 over 90″, where 140 is the systolic pressure and 90 is
the diastolic pressure) are reached. It is also possible to have systolic hypertension or diastolic
hypertension if only one of these levels is high.
3. Home measurement
The European Society of Hypertension encourages people who suffer from high blood pressure
to measure their blood pressure regularly at home. This improves patients’ adherence to
treatment and provides more information on its effectiveness.
• Upper arm blood pressure monitor. This is the place where a doctor measures blood
pressure, and this type of monitor can also be uses at home. The strap is placed around the
upper arm and the button is pressed. The strap automatically inflates and then deflates slowly.
During deflation, when blood pressure equals the pressure in the strap, the monitor displays the
systolic and diastolic readings together with the pulse.
• Wrist blood pressure monitor. These are very small and easy to use. Firmly wrap the
strap around the wrist so that the screen is on the inside of the wrist, and press the button. The
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