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Hypertension

The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. Blood pressure is measured by two numbers. The top number is your systolic pressure, the pressure created when your heart beats. It is considered high if consistently over 140. The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, the pressure inside blood vessels when the heart is at rest. It is considered high if consistently over 90.

Reviewed last on: 4/23/2009
Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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