UNDERSTANDING LOW BLOOD PRESSURE - THE BESICS.

UNDERSTANDING LOW BLOOD PRESSURE - THE BASICS.

Joseph, Agwu Ogbajie,

johanjahb.

WHAT IS LOW BLOOD PRESSURE?

Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure ( less than 90/60 ). A blood pressure reading appears as two numbers. The first and high of the two a measure of systolic pressure, or the pressure in the artries when the heart beats and fills them with blood. The second number measures diastolic pressure, or the pressure in the artries when the heart rests between beats.

Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 ( systolic / diastolic ). In healthy people, low blood pressure without any symptoms is not usually a concern and does not need to be treated. But low blood pressure can be a sign of an underlying problem, especially in elderly where it may cause inadequate blood flow to the heart, brain and other vital organs.

Everyone's blood pressure drops at one time or another. And, it often didn't cause any noticable symptoms. Certain conditions can cause prolonged periods of hypotension that can become dangerous if left untreated. These include:

✓ Pregnancy, due to an increase in demand for blood from both mother and the growing fetus.

✓ Large amounts of blood loss through injury or surgical operation.

✓ Impaired circulation caused by heart attacks or faulty heart valves

✓ Weakness and a state of shock that sometimes accompanies dehydration

✓ Infections of the bloodstream.

✓ Hypothyroidism

✓ Diabetes, or low blood sugar- hypoglycemia.

Medications might also cause blood pressure to drop. Beta- blockers and nitroglycerin, used to treat heart disease, are common culprits. Diuretics, tricyclic antidepressants, and errectile dysfunction drugs can also cause hypotension.

Chronic low blood pressure with no symptoms is almost never serious. But health problems can occur when blood pressure drops suddenly and brain is deprived of an adequate blood supply. This can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. Sudden drops in blood pressure mostly common occur in someone who's rising from a prone or sitting position to standing.

This kind of low blood pressure is known as " postural hypotension ".

Another type of low blood pressure can occur when someone stands for a long period of time. This is called " neurally mediated hypotension". Postural hypotension is considered a failure of the cardiovascular system or nervous system to react appropriately to sudden changes.

Normally, when you stand up, some blood pools in your lower extremities. uncorrected, this would cause your blood to fall. But your body normally compensates by sending messages to your heart to beat faster and to your blood vessels to constrict. This offsets the drop in blood pressure. If this does not happen or happens too slowly, postural hypotension results.

The risk of both low blood pressure and high blood pressure normally increases with age due in part to normal changes during aging. In addition, blood flow to the heart muscle and brain declines with age, often as a result of plaque build up in blood vessels. An estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of people over age 65 have postural hypotension.

Can low blood pressure be treated with alternative medicine or complementary medicine?

My next presentation will deal on this question.