What Does Pulse Pressure Mean?

[wibbleway]

The other day after just a few minutes up my blood pressure was 105/95 and my heart rate was 179. I e-mailed Vanderbilt and they were concerned about the heart rate. What does the 95 in the blood pressure mean?

[futurehope]

The pulse pressure is the difference between the upper and lower numbers. Most normal people have about 40 points difference. This helps the blood "perfuse" or soak around the brain when the heart is between beats.

Your upper number is the pressure during a heartbeat. The lower number is the pressure between heartbeats.

You must be feeling pretty poorly as your pulse pressure was low. Your heartrate was up because your body was probably trying to get blood to your brain.

I hope you feel better soon. Make sure you're hydrated. Your pulse pressure can decrease if you are low on fluids and have low blood volume. It happens to me.

P.S. I noticed you're hypovolemic. This contributes to low pulse pressure.