Term	Definition	Example
Blood pressure (BP reading)	The force of blood against the artery walls, recorded as two numbers. Recall from the vital-signs assessment in Episodes One and Five — heard here in a new context: a number the patient takes herself, every day, at home. — recall Ep. 01; Ep. 05	"What's your BP reading looked like this week, Mrs. Holloway?"
Hypertension	The clinical term for sustained high blood pressure. Patients usually say “high blood pressure.” Clinicians say “hypertension.” Both sit naturally side by side in a real consultation.	"Your hypertension seems well managed so far."
Home BP monitoring	A patient measuring their own blood pressure outside the clinic, usually with a home cuff. A structured skill: correct posture, correct cuff position, and consistent timing all affect accuracy.	"Talk me through your home BP monitoring routine."
Systolic / diastolic	The two numbers in a BP reading. Systolic, the higher number, is the pressure when the heart contracts. Diastolic, the lower number, is the pressure at rest between beats. Always spoken together, joined by “over.”	"Your systolic and diastolic numbers have both come down slightly."
Lifestyle modification	Non-drug measures used to manage a health condition: diet, activity, salt intake, alcohol, weight. The umbrella term for everything a chronic-disease review covers.	"We'll focus this appointment on lifestyle modification."
Salt intake	How much dietary salt a patient consumes — a modifiable factor in blood pressure.	"How's your salt intake been since we last spoke?"
Cardiovascular risk	The overall likelihood of heart or circulatory problems over time, of which blood pressure is only one contributing factor.	"It's part of the bigger picture for your cardiovascular risk."
Compliance / adherence	How consistently a patient follows an agreed plan. “Adherence” is the more current, less paternalistic term; “compliance” is older but still common in textbooks and exam materials.	"Your adherence to the plan has been excellent."
White-coat effect	When a patient's blood pressure reads higher in a clinical setting than it does at home, often because of the stress of being examined.	"That could just be the white-coat effect."
Lifestyle review	The structured diet/activity/salt/alcohol conversation a clinician has with a patient at a chronic-disease follow-up.	"Let's do a proper lifestyle review today."

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