Low blood pressure or hypotension is an actual problem in medicine that can accompany a variety of diseases, but can also occur independently. Blood pressure may decrease after the ability of the heart muscle to effectively pump blood to the rest of the body is reduced.
- If the blood pressure becomes too low, your organs including the brain cannot continue to work as before.
Abnormally low blood pressure can provoke a clinical shock and therefore this condition requires urgent medical attention, but high blood pressure is a risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases. After you have been diagnosed with hypotension, you need to begin appropriate treatment; otherwise, your well-being can be significantly impaired.
When a patient suffers from low blood pressure, the clinical signs are very similar to those that occur in other diseases as well, for example, cerebral infarction. Symptoms may vary and depend on the degree and rate of decrease in blood pressure and most often patients report such complaints as:
- strong headache;
- dizziness and loss of balance;
- nausea and muscle weakness;
- memory disorders;
- heart rhythm disorders.
Patients with hypotension may experience various disorders of the autonomic nervous system, for example thermoregulatory dysfunction. The patient’s condition usually worsens in upright position, so the person needs to be in prone position to feel relief.
When decrease in blood pressure and blood flow reaches a certain level, the blood supply of the brain ceases to be sufficient for its normal function. The cause of low blood pressure can be the body’s response to an infectious disease, hormonal imbalance or various serious cuts or wounds, including:
- sepsis;
- loss of large amounts of blood;
- Addison’s disease.
Hypotension often occurs as a complication of various diseases, including paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, which can become the basis for conducting a medical procedure – cardioversion and hospitalization. Since patients with the hypotension diagnosis have a high risk of complications, it is necessary to take care of the health in advance. Deterioration of well-being in the patient with low blood pressure may result from:
- overwork;
- extreme fatigue;
- nervous stress;
- lack of sleep;
- infectious diseases;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Despite the fact that hypotension is a common disease, sometimes doctors have difficulties in diagnosing and choosing adequate therapy. Diagnosis of low blood pressure primarily involves the measurement of blood pressure by various methods, including:
- direct measurement of arterial pressure;
- indirect blood pressure measurement.
Adequate treatment of low blood pressure raises it, helps increase the blood delivery to the organs and thereby contributes to symptomatic improvement. To normalize blood pressure, appropriate drug therapy is used and patients are often prescribed with:
- ProAmatine tablets for oral administration;
- Giapreza injection for intravenous infusion.
Healthy meal plan for patients with hypotension should include a sufficient number of proteins and vitamins to better control the blood pressure. In addition, patients should limit the consumption of high-calorie foods that should become a habit. Such diet can help remove toxins from your body.
- The doctor may recommend the patient with low blood pressure to stop consuming beverages containing large amounts of caffeine.
When developing dietary guidelines for people suffering from low blood pressure, intestinal condition should be taken into account, since this disease is often accompanied with impaired digestion. The presence of constipation or diarrhea in the patient can significantly worsen the state of health, so proper nutrition plays a major role in correcting the gastrointestinal disorders.
The main factor to normalize the blood pressure is moderate physical activity that may include walks in the park, easy running and swimming in the pool. Physical exercise leads to an increase in the heart rate and thereby helps to rise blood pressure.