晚年肺动脉压力变化:社区动脉样硬化风险研究 (ARIC)

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe health condition in which the mean pulmonary arterial pressure increases to 25 mmHg or more, even when the body is at rest. This high pressure in the blood vessels that transport blood from the heart to the lungs can cause various symptoms, including shortness of breath, can lead to right heart failure, and significantly affect the overall quality of life.
There are various classifications for PH, each relating to different underlying causes and also...

Assessing blood pressure is a standard procedure executed in virtually all medical environments. The method utilized today was established over a hundred years ago by an innovative Russian doctor, Dr. Nikolai Korotkoff. The soft ticking noise, known as Korotkoff sounds, heard while taking blood pressure readings results from turbulent blood flow within the vessels. The apparatus required for this procedure includes a sphygmomanometer, a blood pressure cuff attached to a gauge, and a...

The movement of blood in a human body, commonly referred to as blood flow, is determined by the volume of blood that traverses a certain section of the bodily system per unit time. It is the rhythmic contraction of the heart's ventricles that primarily instigates this movement. As the ventricles contract, blood is forced into the prominent arteries, which then flow from areas of greater pressure to lower pressure areas. This movement continues into smaller arteries and arterioles and...

Several physiological and lifestyle factors influence blood pressure (BP). Understanding these factors is crucial as they are significant in patient education and blood pressure management.
Physiological Factors:

Besides the pressure difference between the external environment and the lungs, the airflow rate and ease of pulmonary ventilation are also influenced by three other factors: surface tension of the fluid in the alveoli, compliance of the lungs, and airway resistance.
Alveolar Surface Tension
The alveolar fluid lines the luminal surface of the alveoli and exerts a force called surface tension. This force is caused by the polar water molecules in the liquid being more strongly attracted to each...