Normal Vital Signs

Human body's four main vital signs that are measured by the medical professionals or health care providers are: body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate and blood pressure. These signs assess the body's functionality, that helps in identifying any abnormalities from a person's normal and healthy state. These signs are recorded by a health care professional like a nurse, physician, etc. to establish various physiological statistics and to identify the level at which a person's body is functioning. Hence, based on these statistics, in case of any abnormalities, necessary treatment or medications are given to the patient. Generally, normal ranges of measurements of these vital signs change with the person's age and medical condition.

Normal Vital Signs by Age

The vital signs like temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate and blood pressure remain relatively constant throughout our adult life. However, as infants and children grow and age, the range of normal pediatric vital signs change.

Temperature: The normal body temperature of an individual is a measure of the core body temperature, that varies according to the gender, weight, recent activity, food and fluid consumption and time of the day. It is recorded to detect fever (pyrexia or a febrile condition), or to monitor the degree of hypothermia (drop in body temperature). The body temperature can be recorded in any of the following ways:

• Orally: Temperature is measured by keeping either the classic glass thermometer or the modern digital thermometers in the mouth under tongue. This method is never used in infants and children as they can accidentally bite or break the thermometer.
• Rectally: Temperature is taken rectally, using either a glass or digital thermometer inserted in to the rectum. This method is commonly used in infants and provides the most accurate recording of the temperature.
• Axillary: Temperature is measured by placing a glass or digital thermometer under the armpit. Temperature measured by this route tends to be 0.3 to 0.4° (Fahrenheit) lower than those measured orally or rectally, hence, provide least accurate results.
• Through Ear: In this method a special thermometer is used to measure the temperature of the eardrum, that reflects the body core temperature.

Age Group	Temperature (in ° Fahrenheit)
Newborn	97.7° F - 99.5° F
Infants (1 year or less)	97.0° F - 99.0° F
Toddlers (1 - 3 years)	97.5° F - 98.6° F
Pre-schooler (3 - 6 years)	97.5° F - 98.6° F
School aged children (7 - 12 years)	97.5° F - 98.6° F
Adolescent (12 - 17 years)	97.5° F - 98.6° F
Adults (Above 18 years)	97.6° F - 99 ° F
Elders (Above 70 years)	96.8° F - 97.5° F

Pulse Rate: The pulse rate is the measure of an individual's heart rate or number of times a heart beats per minute. It varies or fluctuates with exercise, illness, injury, and emotions. The heart pumps blood through the arteries, which expand and contract with the flow of the blood and so, the pulse rate can be measured on any surface artery that runs over a bone. However, one of the most commonly used place to measure pulse rate is the radial artery in the wrist. To measure, keep your index, middle, and ring fingers over the radial artery which is placed above the wrist, on the anterior or front surface of the thumb side of the arm. Gently apply the pressure and note the rate, rhythm, strength, and tension of the pulse.

Age Group	Normal Pulse Rate (in beats per minute)	Average Pulse Rate (in beats per minute)
Newborn	100 - 170	140
Infants (1 year or less)	80 - 170	120
Toddlers (1 - 3 years)	80 - 130	110
Pre-schooler (3 - 6 years)	75 - 120	100
School aged children (7 - 12 years)	70 - 110	90
Adolescent (12 - 17 years)	60 - 90	75
Adults (Above 18 years)	60 - 110	80

Respiratory Rate: The respiratory rate is basically the number of breaths an individual takes per minute. It is normally measured by counting the number of times a person breathes in a minute when at rest. However, the respiratory rate varies with fever, illness or any other health conditions.

Age Group	Normal Respiratory Rate (in breaths per minute)	Average Respiratory Rate (in breaths per minute)
Newborn	30 - 50	40
Infants (1 year or less)	20 - 40	30
Toddlers (1 - 3 years)	20 - 30	25
Pre-schooler (3 - 6 years)	16 - 22	19
School aged children (7 - 12 years)	14 - 20	17
Adolescent (12 - 17 years)	12 - 20	16
Adults (Above 18 years)	12 - 20	18

Blood Pressure: Blood pressure is the force with which the blood pushes against the artery walls, each time the heart beats. One can't measure his/her blood pressure, unless he/she is using an electronic blood pressure measuring device. However, a classic blood pressure monitoring device comprises a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope, which is operated by a nurse or any health care provider to measure the blood pressure of a patient. While measuring blood pressure, two pressures are recorded: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood into the body. Whereas diastolic blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the artery in between the heartbeats, i.e., when the heart is at rest. Both these blood pressures are measured in "mm Hg" (millimeters of mercury).

Age Group	Systolic	Diastolic	Average
Newborn	65 - 95	30 - 60	80 - 60
Infants (1 year or less)	65 - 115	42 - 80	90 - 61
Toddlers (1 - 3 years)	76 - 122	46 - 84	99 - 65
Pre-schooler (3 - 6 years)	85 - 115	48 - 64	100 - 56
School aged children (6 - 12 years)	93 - 125	46 - 68	109 - 58
Adolescent (12 - 17 years)	99 - 137	51 - 71	118 - 61
Adults (Above 18 years)	100 - 140	60 - 90	120 - 80

Recording these normal vital signs are normal and are an essential part of the health check ups, which should be done on regular basis. However, any abnormalities in these vital signs should not be ignored and should be reported to the concerned health care professional.