What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, particularly arteries. This force is a critical aspect of cardiovascular health as it determines how well blood is able to flow through the circulatory system, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs.

Understanding blood pressure involves recognizing its measurement, typically expressed in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) as two values - systolic (the pressure during heartbeats) and diastolic (the pressure between heartbeats).

The other concepts related to blood flow and circulation, such as the speed of blood flow in veins, the volume of blood in the circulatory system, and the resistance encountered in blood vessels, while important to cardiovascular function, do not define blood pressure itself. Blood pressure specifically relates to the dynamic interaction between the force of blood and the structural characteristics of blood vessel walls.