Summarizing Pressures in the Body

Summary

• Measuring blood pressure is among the most common of all medical examinations.
• The pressures in various parts of the body can be measured and often provide valuable medical indicators.
• The shape of the eye is maintained by fluid pressure, called intraocular pressure.
• When the circulation of fluid in the eye is blocked, it can lead to a buildup in pressure, a condition called glaucoma.
• Some of the other pressures in the body are spinal and skull pressures, bladder pressure, pressures in the skeletal system.

Glossary

diastolic pressure

minimum arterial blood pressure; indicator for the fluid balance

glaucoma

condition caused by the buildup of fluid pressure in the eye

intraocular pressure

fluid pressure in the eye

micturition reflex

stimulates the feeling of needing to urinate, triggered by bladder pressure

systolic pressure

maximum arterial blood pressure; indicator for the blood flow