A blood pressure test is done to check the pressure of the blood in the arteries of the patient as the heart pumps. Blood pressure is basically, the pressure of the blood circulating in the blood vessel walls. Blood pressure (BP) test is usually conducted either if the patient has a high BP (a condition known as hypertension) or if it is a part of the routine of the appointment with the doctor.
Blood pressure is one of the vital signs measured in patients by doctors. Others vital signs include heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, pulse rate and oxygen saturation. Two readings are taken in a Blood pressure test - Systolic and diastolic. Systolic refers to the higher reading and Diastolic refers to the lower reading in measuring blood pressure. The normal blood pressure in adults is considered to be 120 millimeters of mercury (Hg) systolic (16kPa) and 80 millimeters of mercury diastolic (11kPa). It often referred to as 120 over 80.