title: Environmental and behavioral factors that can affect blood pressure.
abstract: A patient's blood pressure may vary considerably and not be a sign of a pathological process in the patient. Environmental factors which cause blood pressure changes are climate, temperature and time of day. There are also age and sex differences in blood pressure. Body and extremity position, activity and exercise, food, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and psychological stress are behavioral factors which alter blood pressure. When the nurse practitioner measures a patient's blood pressure, as many transient variables as possible need to be controlled. Those factors which cannot be controlled must be carefully evaluated so the NP does not erroneously interpret the blood pressure change as a sign of pathology.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001519:Behavior; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D004435:Eating; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011187:Posture; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013696:Temperature