Pulse Pressure vs.

Blood
Pressure
What Is Blood Pressure?
• Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against artery
walls as it flows throughout your body — the pressure that the
blood exerts. Blood pressure is always expressed as two numbers,
both measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The systolic
pressure (first or top number) measures the force when your
hearts beats; the diastolic pressure (second or bottom number) is
a measurement of the heart at rest. For example, someone with a
systolic reading of 120 mm Hg and a diastolic reading of 80 mm
Hg would have a blood pressure of 120 over 80.
• If systolic pressure goes up — even if the diastolic pressure stays
the same — the patient is at risk for developing serious
cardiovascular conditions.
What Is Pulse Pressure?
• The term pulse pressure might be new to you — it's the
difference between your systolic pressure and your diastolic
pressure. If your blood pressure is 120/80, then your pulse
pressure is 40 — the difference between 120 mm Hg and 80
mm Hg.
• If systolic pressure increases — even if the diastolic pressure
stays the same — your pulse pressure will increase, which
seems to be an indicator of cardiovascular disease in some
patients.
• Though the correlation isn't clear, studies have found a
definite link between elevated pulse pressure and:
• Increased risk of coronary artery calcification in patients with
chronic kidney disease
• The presence of cardiovascular disease, not just increased
risk
• Increased risk of atrial fibrillation
• Rigid arteries
• Increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease,
particularly heart disease