ADAM Health Encyclopedia

Vital signs

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Vital signs

Definition

Vital signs show an individual is alive. They include heart beat, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure. These signs may be watched, measured, and monitored to check an individual's level of physical functioning. Normal vital signs change with age, sex, weight, exercise tolerance, and condition.

Normal ranges for the average healthy adult vital signs are:

Temperature: 97.8 - 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit / average 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit

Breathing: 12 - 18 breaths per minute

Pulse: 60 - 80 beats per minute (at rest)

Blood Pressure:

Systolic: less than 120 mm of mercury (mm Hg)
Diastolic: less than 80 mm Hg


Neck pulse

Review Date: 1/18/2007
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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