Raised Blood Pressure

Edexcel AS-level BiologyCardiovascular DiseasesLesson 4 of 20

Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood on the walls of the arteries. It is measured with a sphygmomanometer, usually on the upper arm, and given in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Two values are recorded:

• systolic pressure, the highest pressure, when the ventricles contract
• diastolic pressure, the lowest pressure, when the heart relaxes

A reading is written as systolic/diastolic, for example 120/80 mmHg, which is a typical healthy value.

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Raised Blood Pressure

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