systolic
adj. C1 Advanced US //sɪˈstɔɫɪk// UK //sɪstˈɒlɪk// sys·tolic
adj. relating to the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. It is the higher number in a blood pressure reading.
adj. relating to the contraction of the heart, specifically the pressure in the arteries during this phase. Often used in medical contexts to describe the upper value of a blood pressure measurement.
The doctor checked my systolic blood pressure.
A systolic reading above 140 indicates that the heart is working harder than normal to pump blood through the body.
While both systolic and diastolic pressures are important, systolic readings are often more predictive of cardiovascular risk in older adults due to the stiffening of arterial walls over time.
From systole + -ic.