ANTH 242 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Sphygmomanometer, Antihypertensive Drug, Standard Deviation

• School: Binghamton University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH 242
• Professor: Gary D.James

Document Summary

Blood pressure variation: -blood pressure can change within 10% in seconds. Variation occurs to maintain adequate oxygenated blood flow to tissues as the physiological state and environmental conditions of the individual change. Physiological state and environmental conditions fluctuate substantially in humans over the course of one 24 hour period, primarily as a consequence of changes in behavior. This behavioral change may result from real or perceived stress that is manifested in the dynamics of everyday life. Adaptive value of blood pressure: -what gives blood pressure its adaptive (and survival) value is its ability to change when conditions warrant, not the attainment of some fixed value which remains relatively stable over the lifetime of an individual. Blood pressure variation history: -first studies to systematically evaluate what environmental variables were conducted in the early 1980"s. First assessments evaluated blood pressure differences across different daily situations, (clinic, work, home, and sleep) in hypertensive patients (those whose clinic bp was 140/90 or higher).