A&P Cardiovascular System Practice Test 2026 - Free Cardiovascular Practice Questions and Study Guide

Elevated blood pressure is called hypertension. Blood pressure is the force of circulating blood against vessel walls, and when that force remains higher than normal, we label it hypertension—a condition that raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. Clinically, guidelines often use thresholds around 130/80 mmHg to define hypertension, though older definitions used 140/90 mmHg. The other terms describe different ideas: shock involves inadequate tissue perfusion, hypotension means abnormally low blood pressure, and peripheral resistance is the friction the vessels offer to flow, which influences blood pressure but is not the name for high pressure.