Blood Pressure Ranges - Blood Pressure Chart Explored

by Teresa Coltart

Blood pressure health has to do with high blood pressure also known as hypertension, normal blood pressure and low blood pressure which is also known as hypotension.

Blood pressure range, the topic of this article, is indispensable for the sake of understanding and treating hypertension and hypotension. Combined with regularly updated hypertension guidelines these ranges are important to doctors for appropriate and effective blood pressure treatment.

Blood pressure readings are presented in two numbers namely systolic and diastolic readings one (systolic) above the other (diastolic) and are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Under normal circumstances the systolic number is bigger than the diastolic number and is written as follows - 120/80mmHg.

Ranges of blood pressure are therefore understood in the context of systolic and diastolic measurements. A systolic measurement is obtained when the heart contracts and a diastolic measurement when the heart relaxes. This is the time in-between heartbeats.

It is possible for a diastolic reading to be abnormally higher even higher than the systolic reading. This represents a particular hypertension subtype called high diastolic blood pressure. This can also be the case with systolic readings which is known medically as isolated systolic hypertension.

Accurate blood pressure readings are absolutely important when dealing with blood pressure ranges. Prior to interpreting blood pressure range charts against your blood pressure measurements, repeated and averaged readings of your measurements are necessary over a period of time. Doctors particularly find home blood pressure monitoring useful for this purpose. Modern monitors such as the Omron blood pressure monitors, Samsung, Relion, Lifesource and Wristech monitors have the technology to accurately and automatically store-up and average your daily measurements over a period of time.

The following are ranges of blood pressure for an average adult a woman or a man. The ranges are divided into three tables covering ranges for high blood pressure, ranges for normal blood pressure and for low blood pressure.

Ranges for low blood pressure are particularly important to give special attention because low blood pressure readings in them self produced by the digital blood pressure monitor are never enough to conclude an abnormally low blood pressure diagnosis.

Signs and symptoms of low blood pressure are important when considering a low blood pressure range. Until known hypotension symptoms present all that can be done to an individual with low blood pressure readings is to put them under observation. Signs of low blood pressure are certainly important when dealing with low blood pressure.

Blood Pressure Range for Women and for Men

Women of ages 20 to 34 can be expected to have a normal blood pressure range of 90 to 122 (systolic) and 60 to 82 (diastolic). Women who are ages 35 to 64 can range between 122 and 134mmHg (systolic) and 81 to 57 (diastolic).

It's been noted by medical professionals that pre-menopausal women benefit from the estrogen hormone that promote blood vessel flexibility which in turn helps maintain stable blood pressure. Once the hormone starts to decline with age, blood pressure risk can be expected to start climbing as well.

Blood pressure range for men is higher than that of women before menopause. Up to the age of 55 men appear to have a higher normal blood pressure range than women. It will obviously also be higher than that of children and the elderly.

Blood Pressure Chart for children

The following table presents a normal blood pressure chart for children according to age.

As can be deduced from the table above, children and teens have a slightly lower normal range of blood pressure than an adult man or woman. Children are dynamic and their blood pressure changes considerably rapidly as they grow from one stage to the other.

Turning to the elderly, blood pressure health amongst the elderly may begin to deteriorate past the age of 60. Some elderly people experience low diastolic blood pressurereadings directly as a result of advancement in age. The following table indicates ranges of blood pressure for elderly people.