heartbeats. Blood pressure is expres-
sed as, e.g. 120/80 in millimetres of
a mercury column (mmHg).
Blood pressure changes constantly
in each individual and thus creates
the requirements necessary for the
functional capacity of the body. Thus
fluctuations in blood pressure are
perfectly normal. However, if blood
pressure values are constantly
elevated at rest, hypertension or
high blood pressure is present.
1. General information on blood
pressure
The human heart beats approx. 60
to 80 times per minute. This causes
blood to be pumped into the arterial
vascular system and supplies the
body with oxygen and necessary
nutrients. A constant pressure
known as blood pressure is required
to enable the blood to flow into the
smallest of blood vessels. In measur-
ing blood pressure, two values are
determined. The systolic value is the
maximum pressure as the heart
beats. The diastolic value is the
minimum pressure between two
English
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set out the following limit values:
Assessment Systolic pressure Diastolic pressure
Optimal up to 120 mmHg up to 80 mmHg
Normal up to 130 mmHg up to 85 mmHg
Normal limit values 130 – 139 mmHg 85 – 89 mmHg
Grade 1 hypertension 140 – 159 mmHg 90 – 99 mmHg
Grade 2 hypertension 160 – 179 mmHg 100 – 109 mmHg
Grade 3 hypertension over 180 mmHg over 110 mmHg
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