The circulatory system functions under the influence of pressure in the vessels created by the heart. Blood pressure can be measured by means of special medical devices that show two basic indicators, such as systolic pressure and diastolic blood pressure.
If not to detect high blood pressure in time, it can adversely affect your health. Regularly measuring your blood pressure, you can monitor how your circulatory system functions. In general, blood pressure indicators depend on:
- blood volume;
- vascular resistance;
- the lumen size and elasticity of the blood vessels walls.
Sometimes people find out that their blood pressure is lower or higher than the norm only after a diagnostics, since hypotension and hypertension can be asymptomatic in some patients at the beginning of the disease. When the systolic pressure is below 90 mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure is 60 mmHg on the tonometer manometer, this indicates that you have low blood pressure.
- It is recommended to measure blood pressure twice a day and take into account the average indices of the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure.
When the cardiovascular system functions correctly, the blood is pumped throughout the body maintaining the normal blood pressure. The circulatory system supports and nourishes all cells in your body and provides the necessary basal metabolic rate.
If your device has registered an irregular heartbeat pressure, measure your blood pressure again about an hour later. If the irregular heart rhythm is detected several times a day or a week, consult your doctor.
According to some studies, blood pressure may increase gradually for many years. Herewith, systolic blood pressure becomes higher by approximately 20 mm Hg, but diastolic blood pressure may increase by 10 mm Hg. Blood pressure may vary under the influence of various factors, including:
- overweight;
- a large amount of cholesterol in the blood vessels;
- low level of physical activity;
- stressful situation and anxiety.
The heart begins to expand and relax after ventricular ejection, the diastolic blood pressure is formed and this occurs at the beginning of the cardiac cycle at the moment of filling the heart with blood. This value indicates with what pressure the blood returns to the cardiac chambers.
The heart rate may increase, as well as the systolic pressure slightly rises and the diastolic blood pressure decreases within the first three hours after food intake in young people. A decrease in blood pressure also called postprandial hypotension is noted after eating in elderly people.
Women usually have lower blood pressure than men do, and this ratio may persist until menopausal transition, after which females’ blood pressure indices can be higher than that of males. Hormonal changes that accompany the menstrual cycle also affect the level of the diastolic blood pressure.
If the lymphatic and blood vessels function normally, the diastolic blood pressure makes between 70 and 80 mm Hg. If the minimum pressure in the arteries is greater than 80 mm Hg in a person, and the maximum pressure in the arteries remains normal, then this state is called isolated diastolic hypertension.
Symptoms of the increased diastolic blood pressure include shortness of breath, swelling of the legs or abdomen, as well as extreme physical fatigue. The patient can be prescribed with an echocardiogram that helps get various data, for example:
- the amount of blood in the left ventricle pumped out during contraction;
- the shape and size of the left ventricle, as well as to determine how it functions.
The most common reasons for the isolated diastolic hypertension can be kidney failure, thyroid disease and various diseases causing heart muscle dysfunctions, for example cardiomyopathy. Various types of medications including diuretics can be used to improve the function of the cardiac muscle.
- If the blood movement through the vessels is disturbed because the coronary arteries are clogged with cholesterol, surgical intervention may require.
Relaxation is very important for the heart, and if problems with the heart muscle relaxation between the beats occur, the heart chambers cannot be completely filled with blood. As a result, conditions for the onset of the diastolic dysfunction, diagnosed annually in a large number of Americans, are created.