What should systolic and diastolic blood pressure be

Mercury was used in the first accurate pressure gauges and is still used in medicine today as the standard unit of measurement for pressure. While both are indications of health, blood pressure and heart rate pulse are two separate measurements.

Learn more about the difference between blood pressure and heart rate. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers.

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Elevated Elevated blood pressure is when readings consistently range from systolic and less than 80 mm Hg diastolic. Purpose of review: Diastolic blood pressure has traditionally been considered the most important component of blood pressure and the primary target of antihypertensive therapy. However, over 30 years ago important epidemiological studies pointed out the importance of systolic blood pressure, and research during the s has strengthened this view.

Unlike diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure increases progressively with age, and in the ageing societies elevated systolic pressure is the most common form of hypertension. The characteristic changes of systolic and diastolic blood pressure with age lead to increases in pulse pressure systolic minus diastolic , which has emerged as a new, potentially independent risk factor.

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