Blood is carried from the heart to all the body's tissues and organs in vessels, called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of those arteries.

Hypertension is defined as either:

• a systolic pressure consistently at 140 or higher or
• a diastolic pressure consistently at 90 or higher.

Each time the heart beats (about 60 to 70 times a minute at rest) it pumps blood out into the arteries.

When the heart is pumping the blood, it is called systolic pressure.

When the...