"High blood pressure was long considered a health problem of middle age, but rates are increasing in children and adolescents, with doctors reporting a surge in strokes among people of working age. Hypertension is the medical name for high blood pressure. It arises when blood pressure in the arteries, the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the brain and around the body, is consistently above a healthy level."
"Blood pressure is usually measured with a blood pressure monitor, which wraps an inflatable cuff around the arm. The measurement records two numbers, in units of mm Hg (mercury), and displays them as the higher number over the lower. The higher number, the systolic pressure, is the pressure when the heart contracts to push blood around the body. The lower number, the diastolic pressure, is when the heart relaxes between beats."
Hypertension occurs when arterial blood pressure stays consistently above healthy levels and often causes widespread damage without obvious symptoms. Blood pressure measurement uses an inflatable cuff and records systolic (heart contraction) over diastolic (heart relaxation) in mm Hg. Diagnostic thresholds vary by country and age: UK adult healthy range is 90/60 to 119/79, slightly raised 120/80 to 139/89, and high from 140/90; US defines stage 1 as 130/80–139/89 and stage 2 as 140/90 or higher. Childhood diagnosis uses percentiles by age, height, and sex. Prevalence increases with age, genetics, ethnicity, and lifestyle factors.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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