Many people who care about the state of their body monitor their blood pressure levels. This is one of the main indicators that can help identify certain violations. Many people know their normal blood pressure. What does the difference between systolic and diastolic pressure mean and what is the norm of this indicator - we will consider in more detail in our article.

The norm of blood pressure indicators

The difference between systolic and diastolic readings is called pulse pressure. The normal state of a person is considered to be 120 to 80. That is, the difference between these values ​​\u200b\u200bshould be about 40.

If deviations are observed, then this indicates the development certain disease. In order to detect violations of cardio-vascular system required to measure blood pressure daily for 2 weeks.

Important to remember! If a person has a consistently high or low pulse pressure for long period time, you need to contact a specialist! He must run a series additional research to identify the cause of this deviation.

What difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure is considered problematic? A gap of 60 points or more can be observed for the following reasons:

1. excessive active work heart muscle. This can lead to early aging. This situation occurs in cases where diastolic pressure remains normal, and the systolic index is increased.
2. Decreased vascular tone and diseases of the renal system and adrenal glands. In such cases, the diastolic index decreases, and the systolic pressure remains normal.
3. Hypoxia of the brain. The reason for the high pulse rate in such cases is the low cerebral pressure.
4. Regular stressful situations and emotional overstrain. To normalize the indicator in such cases, it is required to take sedative medications. They will bring the pressure back to normal.
5. Age. In older people, the vessels lose their elasticity and firmness. As a result, blood circulation is disturbed. Therefore, the elderly most often suffer from an increased pulse rate.
6. Anemia.
7. Functional disturbances thyroid gland.

Important to remember! In order to obtain the most reliable measurements of systolic and diastolic pressure, it is required to carry out the procedure several times in a row! Measuring instruments have a certain error.

Little difference between values

If there is a difference of 20 points or less between the systolic and diastolic indicators, this may indicate the occurrence of the following diseases:

• aneurysms of the renal artery;
• atherosclerosis;
• severe hypothermia of the body;
• dysfunction of the kidneys;
• lack of vitamins and other useful substances in organism;
• heart failure;
• various bleeding;
• excessive physical or emotional overwork.

With a small pulse pressure, the patient begins to worry:

• constant sleepiness;
• general weakness of the body;
• rapid overwork;
• causeless irritability;
• apathy;
• distraction, inattention;
• weak memory function;
• change in skin color;
• dizziness, sometimes leading to loss of consciousness.

Timely detection of a small difference helps prevent serious threats to human health. Therefore, it is very important not only to measure the upper and lower pressure, but also to pay attention to their difference.

How to normalize the state

What to do in a situation where there is an increased pulse pressure? reduce this indicator you can do it yourself at home. To do this, the following activities should be carried out:

1. Refrain from drinking harmful drinks. These are: strong tea or coffee, spirits. They should be completely eliminated from the diet.
2. Limit the amount of salt used in food. The daily rate of its use should be no more than 0.5 tsp. If possible, it is better to exclude it completely. At the same time, one should not forget that many food products initially contain salt in their composition.
3. Get rid of this bad habit like smoking. The harmful effect of cigarettes on the human body with high pulse pressure does not depend on their strength.
4. Condition improvement nervous system. Life cycle modern man overflowing with various stressful situations and emotional stress. To calm the body, you should use various soothing tinctures. They can be made from medicinal plants, like lemon balm, valerian, calendula and others. You can also use and pharmaceutical preparations. The most effective sedatives are: Barboval, Novo-Passit, Persen. But their use should be agreed with the attending physician.

It is also required to use medications that are aimed at eliminating the following problems:

1. Expansion of the walls of blood vessels. For this, the following medicines, like Papaverine, Drotaverine, as well as their analogues.
2. Cleansing the walls of blood vessels from harmful deposits that interfere with normal blood circulation. Most effective drugs for this purpose are: Lovastatin, Rosuvastatin, Vasilip and others. The introduction of foods that remove cholesterol from the body into the diet helps well: celery, corn, beets, cucumbers, Bell pepper, milk.
3. Taking diuretics medicines, such as Indap, Arifon, Hypothiazid, as well as their analogues.

To normalize increased pulse pressure, you should not forget to control your weight and lead a fairly active lifestyle.

Important to remember! The entire period of treatment medications you need to see your doctor! He will monitor the healing process and the effectiveness of the chosen treatment.

How to normalize low pulse pressure

A small difference in systolic and diastolic pressure brings a lot of discomfort. The patient begins to feel frequent dizziness, causeless irritability, he has constant drowsiness and absent-mindedness. In order to increase the pulse pressure, it is required to carry out the following activities:

1. To control daily intake water. A person should drink at least 2 liters. This applies exclusively to water - juices, broths and other drinks are not taken into account.
2. Lead an active lifestyle. Thanks to motor activity blood in the human body begins to circulate faster, which leads to normalization of pressure.
3. Drinking tea or coffee helps to alleviate the condition only for a short time. In addition, these drinks can be addictive. Therefore, it is better to refrain from using them.
4. The people whose professional activity associated with intellectual work, it is required to devote sufficient time for physical activity. Most useful species sports with low pulse pressure can be swimming or yoga.
5. Take daily cold and hot shower. This will help keep the body in good shape and improve blood circulation. It is better to refrain from hot baths.
6. With reduced pulse pressure, people often experience anemia. This testifies to not enough iron in the body. Replenish it will help taking complex vitamins or eating fish, liver, tomatoes, dried apricots.

Regardless of whether increased or decreased pulse pressure periodically worries a person, it is required to carry out preventive measures. These are simple activities that include maintaining healthy lifestyle life, proper and regular nutrition, daily walks on fresh air, hardening, maintaining normal condition immune system. And, of course, you should completely eliminate bad habits, such as overuse alcoholic drinks and smoking.

A large difference between the upper and lower pressure, exceeding a certain indicator, is a sign of pathology, it is necessary to find out its cause and eliminate it.

The blood pressure (BP) indicator consists of two numbers - upper (systolic) and lower (diastolic) pressure, which, when normal conditions rise and fall simultaneously. Such changes in this may indicate disease, but most often appear spontaneously in the context of primary hypertension. At the same time, the interval between the upper and lower pressure remains stable. In some cases, it increases. What can such a condition indicate and what to do if it appears? Let's talk about it.

Upper and lower pressure and the normal difference between them

Maintaining normal blood pressure depends on many systems in the body, but the main ones are cardiovascular, endocrine, urinary. Systolic pressure depends on the state of the heart muscle (myocardium) - it reflects the force of contractions of the heart and cardiac output, which occurs after the reduction. The elastic wall of the vessels closest to the heart also plays an important role - they compensate for cardiac output, absorb it, preventing the pressure indicator from reaching pathological values. Normal systolic pressure is in the range of 100-129 mm Hg. Art. If top pressure changes to dangerous indicators, the problem is usually in the heart.

The difference between the upper and lower readings is called pulse pressure. Normally, it is 40 mm Hg. Art., an excess of 10 units up or down is permissible.

Diastolic pressure reflects peripheral vascular tone. For the constant movement of blood through the bloodstream, it is necessary that the vessels contract, there is an exchange in the capillary bed, maintained osmotic pressure. These functions are performed by the kidneys and endocrine glands, which secrete hormones (aldosterone, vasopressin, and others). This pressure is usually 70–90 mm Hg. Art., and if it is violated, this may indicate kidney disease or secondary hypertension.

The difference between the upper and lower readings is called pulse pressure. Normally, it is 40 mm Hg. Art., an excess of 10 units up or down is permissible. With such indicators, the work of the heart adequately correlates with peripheral vascular resistance. Too much difference between upper and lower blood pressure (60 units or more) appears in a pathology called isolated systolic hypertension.

Reasons for the large difference between upper and lower pressure

The most common causes of isolated hypertension are the pathology of the heart and large vessels, with an increase in upper blood pressure, while the lower one remains normal or increases insignificantly. Less commonly, the systolic remains within the normal range, and the diastolic decreases. The main reasons for these changes are:

1. Reducing the content of elastic elements in the vessel wall, in particular the aorta - characteristic state for older people. High systolic pressure occurs because the fragile aorta no longer compensates for cardiac output.
2. Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of fat-protein detritus in the wall of blood vessels, which leads to the formation of a plaque and its fouling with fibrin, due to which the elasticity of the wall decreases, and fragility and the risk of rupture increase.
3. Increased cardiac output - can be triggered by an increase in the amount of stress hormones in the blood. Due to constant psycho-emotional stress the force of heart contractions increases with pressure.
4. Violation of filtration in the kidneys - if the filtration barrier in the nephrons of the kidneys does not pass blood plasma well, oliguria develops (insufficient urine output), the volume of circulating blood increases along with pressure.
5. Kidney failure - leads to low diastolic pressure, leading to an increase in the difference between upper and lower pressure. In this case, the loss of vascular tone plays an important role.

It is not possible to cure isolated hypertension - the elasticity of the wall cannot be restored. But you can minimize its manifestations and avoid complications.

Why high pulse pressure is dangerous

For adequate blood supply to target organs, the coordinated work of all systems is necessary. A frequently occurring or long-lasting difference between upper and lower blood pressure is fraught with complications: the likelihood of a transient ischemic attack increases significantly, and after that - hemorrhage in the brain tissue, i.e. stroke. This is due to constant decompensated pressure surges.

The same applies to the heart - if the strength of contractions of the heart muscle increases, its need for oxygen increases and nutrients. Lack of adequate trophism is a risk factor for myocardial infarction.

With prolonged isolated systolic hypertension, aortic aneurysm may develop, and subsequently, its rupture. This terminal state, which has a high mortality rate.

If the pathology exists for a long time and is not treated, there may be hypertensive crises against the background of isolated hypertension, with the preservation of lower blood pressure within the normal range. The resulting severe hypertension can increase the interval between pressures up to 70, 80, even 100 mm Hg. Art. It is dangerous for target organs - kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, retina.

The disease progresses rapidly, as evidenced by the appearance of symptoms associated with functional insufficiency of some systems: dizziness, flies before the eyes, blurred vision, forgetfulness, shortness of breath, arrhythmia, tachycardia, chest pain, kidney failure.

What to do with a large difference between the upper and lower pressure?

Regardless of whether the interval increases due to an increase in the upper or lower pressure, it is necessary to pass comprehensive examination and start treatment immediately.

The most common causes of isolated hypertension are the pathology of the heart and large vessels, with an increase in upper blood pressure, while the lower one remains normal or increases insignificantly.

Diagnostics includes:

• ECG (electrocardiogram);
• ultrasound examination of the kidneys;
• contrast examination renal arteries(if necessary);
• ultrasound examination of the heart (echocardiography);
• electrovasography of the vessels of the extremities;
• general analysis of urine and blood;
• biochemical blood test (in particular, for the content of free cholesterol and glucose);
• coagulogram (test for clotting speed).

It is also mandatory to measure blood pressure throughout the day. Why is it needed? Sometimes the pressure rises only at night, and in daytime does not warrant a diagnosis.

Once the diagnosis is established, treatment begins. All drugs should only be taken medical indications. The following groups of pharmacological agents are used:

1. Beta blockers- affect the heart to a greater extent, reducing the frequency and strength of contractions, lowering upper pressure, but also dilate blood vessels, resume blood flow in ischemic areas, and normalize lower pressure.
2. ACE inhibitors- prevent the synthesis of angiotensin II, preventing systemic vasospasm. They act more on systolic pressure.
3. Angiotensin receptor blockers- break the pathogenesis at the angiotensin stage, like the previous group, but reduce the pressure more smoothly (which is necessary in conditions of increased fragility of the vessel wall).
4. Diuretics- contraindicated in kidney failure, but in its absence are quite effective. They reduce the volume of circulating blood, thereby reflexively reducing cardiac output, reducing the difference between upper and lower pressure.
5. Drugs that improve cerebral blood flow- help to avoid negative consequences prolonged increase systolic pressure. They restore microcirculation in the brain tissues, thereby returning cognitive functions to normal.
6. Drugs that increase coronary circulation- spasm of the coronary vessels is fraught with a heart attack, so it is necessary to ensure good blood supply to the heart muscle during periods of increased stress, and in parallel to reduce these loads.

Normal systolic pressure is in the range of 100-129 mm Hg. Art. If the upper pressure changes to dangerous levels, the problem is usually in the heart.

It is not possible to cure isolated hypertension - the elasticity of the wall cannot be restored. But you can minimize its manifestations and avoid complications.

Video

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Upper (systolic) blood pressure refers to the force exerted by the myocardium to push blood into the cavity of the arteries. It is measured in millimeters of mercury and is written as the first digit. If the work of the myocardium decreases, the force of expulsion of the blood of the arteries decreases, a decrease occurs. If it is, systolic pressure also rises.

Diastolic pressure refers to the force applied by the muscular apparatus of the vessels to resist the pressure inside them. This value is an indicator of vascular tone, it is written as the second digit. The indicator of lower pressure depends, in many respects, on the activity of the kidneys, or rather on the production of renin, an enzyme that is responsible for the muscle tone of the vessels. If the kidneys reduce the production of renin, it decreases.

Blood pressure readings on different arteries may vary. For example, it increases as the vessel expands, and also as the artery approaches the heart. It is easiest to measure it in brachial artery. The doctor must measure the pressure on both, while the difference between the indicators should not be more than 5 mm Hg. If the fixed for systolic pressure is more than twenty units, and more than a dozen for diastolic, we can conclude that the artery in the limb is narrowed.

The highest pressures are present in the aorta, but they are difficult to measure.

Difference between upper and lower pressure

Blood pressure of "one hundred twenty over eighty" is considered normal. The difference between systolic and diastolic pressure should not exceed thirty to fifty indicators. An isolated increase in systolic pressure suggests that the myocardium is contracting too hard. This can cause the heart muscle to expand and wear out too quickly. Elevated diastolic pressure indicates insufficient elasticity of the arteries, which may be a sign of atherosclerosis.

An increase in the difference between pressure readings can be a harbinger of myocardial expansion, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

Too much difference between systolic and diastolic pressure causes a decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure (the force with which blood is pushed through the vessels of the brain). This condition can provoke development. A significant difference between the upper and lower pressure may be the result of violations of the emotional background. In this case, the indicators are back to normal after sedatives.