Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force exerted by the flow of blood against the
walls of the main arteries while flowing through them. Blood pressure rises
or falls as the heart responds to the varying demands made by the body
during different activities such as exercise, stress and sleep.
Two types of pressure are measured.
Systolic (the highest) is the pressure created, by the ventricular muscle and the elastic recoil of the aorta (main vessel leaving the heart) as the blood flows through it. Diastolic pressure (the lowest) is recorded during relaxation of the ventricles between beats. It reflects the resistance of all the small arteries in the body and the load against which the heart must work. The pressure wave transmitted along the arteries with each heart beat is felt as the pulse.
Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer. A healthy
adult has a blood pressure reading of about 120/80 mm Hg (120 mm.Hg –
systolic and 80 mm Hg – diastolic). This often rises normally with age to
about 130/90 at 60. Abnormally high blood pressure is known as hyper tension.
Hyper tension is defined as the “Systolic pressure equal to or greater
than 160 mm Hg and (or) the diastolic pressure equal to or greater than 95
mm Hg”. Abnormally low pressure is termed hypotension.
Intensive of hypertension
Hyper tension puts a strain on the heart and blood vessels. Apart
from increasing the risk of having a stroke or developing heart failure or
coronary artery disease, high blood pressure may cause kidney damage and
retinopathy (damage to the retina at the back of the eye).
Causes
Hypertension is linked with obesity and in some people to a high
intake of salt, alcohol, smoking appears to aggravate the effects of
hypertension.
Preventive measures
Alcohol consumption and smoking should be avoided. Obese persons should make an attempt to reduce weight through restriction of food intake and try regular exercise. The dietary intake of animal fat (milk, cream, cheese fatty meat and eggs) should be reduced. A restricted intake of salt is recommended.
Related Topics in Zoology:
Bio Zoology All Important Topics
- Human Physiology Introduction
- Nutrition
- Carbohydrates Poly hydroxyaldehydes (or) ketones
- Proteins (Polypeptides)
- Lipids
- Vitamins – Functions Of Vitamins
- Deficiency of Vitamin
- Minerals – Water – Role of water
- Balanced diet
- Obesity
- Digestive System
- Dental Caries (Tooth decay)
- Root Canal Treatment
- Peptic ulcer
- Hernia and Types
- Appendicitis (Appendix)
- Gall Stones
- Hepatitis
- Fractures – Types of fractures
- Mechanism of fracture
- Dislocation of joints
- Arthiritis
- Rickets and Osteomalacia – Orthopedics
- Muscles
- Mechanism of muscle contraction
- Types of muscle contraction
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Respiration – Process of pulmonary respiration
- Mechanism of Breathing
- Regulation of Respiration
- Pneumonia Tuberculosis Symptoms Treatment
- Bronchitis – Acute bronchitis, Chronic Bronchitis Causes
- Circulatory System – Functioning of Human heart
- Cardiac Cycle
- Coronary blood vessel and its significance
- Myocardial infarction
- Angina pectoris
- Angiogram – Angioplasty
- Atherosclerosis
- Heart block Echo cardiography Heart Valves
- Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), ICCU – (Intensive Coronary Care Unit)
- Blood Pressure
- Heart transplantation
- Pulse rate
- Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Blood – Composition of plasma – Blood cells
- Clotting of Blood or Haemostasis
- Thrombosis
- Nervous system Co-ordination systems
- The Brain – Fore Brain, Midbrain, Hindbrain
- Memory
- Sleep – Types of sleep
- Stroke – Brain haemorrhage
- Alzheimer – Meningitis (Brain fever)
- Conditioned reflex
- Electroencephalography EEG
- Right and Left brain concept
- Spinal cord functioning
- Chemical co-ordination – Functions of Endocrine glands
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary gland – hormone
- Hormones of Neurohypophysis – vasopressin
- Thyroid gland
- Parathyroid Gland
- Pancreas
- Adrenal gland
- Gonads
- Receptor Organs – Eye
- Photochemistry of Retinal visual Pigments
- Errors of refraction
- Optometry – Retinopathy
- Cataract – Lens Replacement – Glaucoma – Nyctalopia
- Eye Infections and Eye Care
- Ear
- Mechanism of hearing
- Defects of the ear
- Hearing Aid – Noise pollution
- Skin and functions of skin
- Melanin functions
- Effects of solar radiation / UV radiation – Skin grafting
- Dermatitis
- Tongue – Mechanism of Stimulation
- Excretion Ureotelism Nephron
- Mechanism of urine formation
- Renal Failure, Dialysis, Kidney Machines
- Kidney stone – Kidney transplantation
- Diabetes mellitus
- Functioning of male reproductive system
- Functioning of female reproductive system
- Ovulation and fate of the ovum – Menstrual cycle
- Fertilization
- Birth control