A patient is considered to have this condition when their blood pressure is 140 over 90 or higher during each of three consecutive visits to their health care provider. The first number in a blood pressure reading, systolic blood pressure, reflects the force of the heart beating against the opposing pressure of the arteries. The diastolic blood pressure, the second number, reflects the same pressure when the heart is at rest. It's important to remember that arteries carry oxygen from the heart to the body to be used with food to produce energy for life processes.
Veins carry blood back to the heart once the oxygen and food have been used by the body's cells.
Arteries are different from veins because they have muscular walls that can squeeze together or relax in order to regulate blood flow. Veins, on the other hand, do not have muscular walls so blood is pushed through them y back pressure from the arteries and by the muscles in the arms, legs and elsewhere in the body. No one knows the specific cause of hypertension. It can be brought on by a sensitivity to salt or high stress. Obesity plays a role in blood pressure elevation since it adds miles of arteries to the cardiovascular system to route blood to the excess fat in the body.