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High blood pressure (hypertension)
Make it clearer
Hypertension means the pressure of the blood inside the arteries is high, and high in a way that persists. That word, persists, is carrying the weight: it isn't about a moment when the pressure went up, it's about a behavior that repeats and holds over time. That's why the diagnosis usually calls for measuring it several times, on different days and at different moments.
A single reading is like glancing out the window on a hot day and deciding from that what the city's climate is like: that day was real, but it isn't the pattern. And when the pattern is there, when the pressure stays elevated, it raises the risk of damage to the heart and blood vessels, to the brain, and to the kidneys.
In brief
Hypertension is a persistent elevation of the pressure inside the arteries. Persistent means that the elevation forms a pattern that continues over time.
Confirming it usually takes repeated measurements at different times. A single reading does not, by itself, show that persistent pattern.
Persistently high blood pressure raises the risk of damage to the heart and blood vessels, the brain, and the kidneys.
Sources (2)
- World Health OrganizationHypertensionPublished
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteHigh Blood Pressure
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated