Blood Pressure Units

Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The readings are always given in pairs, with the upper (systolic) value first, followed by the lower (diastolic) value. diastolic blood pressure of 88 mmHg.

The heart supplies the organs and tissues of the body with blood. With every beat, it pumps blood into the large blood vessels of the circulatory system. As the blood moves around the body, it puts pressure on the walls of the vessels. Blood pressure readings are made up of two values:

• Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats – while the heart muscle is contracting (squeezing) and pumping oxygen-rich blood into the blood vessels.
• Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure on the blood vessels when the heart muscle relaxes. The diastolic pressure is always lower than the systolic pressure.

Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The readings are always given in pairs, with the upper (systolic) value first, followed by the lower (diastolic) value.

So someone who has a reading of 132/88 mmHg (often spoken “132 over 88”) has a

• systolic blood pressure of 132 mmHg, and a
• diastolic blood pressure of 88 mmHg.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2019, May 23). What is blood pressure and how is it measured? InformedHealth.org [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279251/.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279251/