High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer Breaks its Silence

I’ll always remember learning how to measure blood pressure. I learnt the technique as part of my training to become a Personal Trainer. After the correct use of the sphygmomanometer had been demonstrated it was our turn to practice. I measured my partner’s blood pressure and then looked for other members of the group to practice on. Joe and Steve were eager to oblige. I wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Joe’s arm, inflated it and settled back to listen for the first Korotkoff sound – the systolic pressure – the pressure of the blood as its leaves the heart and courses through the blood vessels. (The point at which the Korotkoff sounds disappear is called the diastolic pressure and measures the force on the artery walls in between beats.) However, no s View the rest of this article