How Do Diastolic & Systolic BP Relate to Each Other?

Blood pressure measures how hard the heart works while pumping blood around the body. Blood pressure readings of unreasonably high or low numbers indicate various health problems.

Instruments

• A blood pressure cuff helps determine a person's blood pressure. Healthcare personnel wrap the nylon cuff around the patient's arm and inflate it to cut off circulation, and then release it to obtain blood pressure by reading the numbers on the dial while listening to the patient's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Systolic

• The systolic number in a blood pressure reading measures the greatest point of pressure representing the pressure exerted by the heart beating. Though often approximately 40 points higher than the diastolic in normal blood pressures these numbers often fluctuate from patient to patient.

Diastolic

• The diastolic number when reading a blood pressure monitor shows the lowest point of pressure, which represents the typical pressure of a resting heart. According to NewFitness experts, both diastolic and systolic readings help in discovering the risks of heart disease.

Hypertension

• Higher than normal blood pressure numbers typically result in a diagnosis of hypertension, which causes a variety of problems for a person, including, stroke, aneurysms, and heart failure.

Hypotension

• Hypotension results from lower than normal blood pressure readings. Causes include by a variety of things such as pregnancy, dehydration and bradycardia, and often result in syncope, dizziness, and oxygen deprivation.