Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)

Low blood pressure

Definition and Facts Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, is low enough that blood flow to body parts is insufficient and/and symptoms of low blood flow develop.
Low pressure alone, without symptoms or signs, is usually not unhealthy.



Symptoms of low blood pressure include lighthouse, dizziness, and fainting. These symptoms are most prominent when individuals move from a lying or sitting position to a standing position (orthostatic hypotension).
Low blood pressure that causes insufficient flow of blood to the body parts can lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. The most severe form is shocking.
Common causes of low blood pressure include low blood pressure, heart disease, and medications.
The cause of low blood pressure can be determined with blood tests, radiologic studies and cardiac tests to discover heart failure and arrhythmia.
Treatment of low blood pressure is determined by the cause of low pressure.

1. Symptoms of low blood pressure
2. Symptoms of low blood pressure or hypotension may include:

1. Syncope
2. Dizziness
3. Feeling lazy
4. Pain in chest
5. Blurred vision
6. Increased thirst
7. Nausea

Read more about the symptoms and signs of low blood pressure »
Blood pressure chart showing systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels.

Source:

1.  MedicineNet 
2. / National Heart,
3.  Lung and Blood Institute,
4.  NIH

What is low blood pressure What do numbers mean (chart with categories)?

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Blood pressure is raised by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. It is one of the important signs of life, including heart rate, breathing, and temperature. The flow of blood is done by pumping blood into the arteries by flowing blood into the arteries.

A person's blood pressure is expressed as systolic/diastolic blood pressure, for example, 120/80.

Systolic blood pressure (peak number) represents pressure in the arteries as the heart muscle contractions and pumps blood into them.


Diastolic blood pressure (the number below) represents pressure in the arteries because the heart muscle relaxes after its contraction.
Blood pressure is always high when the heart is resting.


Systolic blood pressure is between 90 and 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for most healthy adults. Normal diastolic blood pressure is between 60 and 80 mm Hg. Current guidelines state the normal blood pressure limit to be less than 120/80. Blood pressure over 130/80 is considered high. High blood pressure increases the risk of damage to the arteries, due to which:

1. heart disease
2. Kidney disease
3. Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis)
4. Eye damage
5. the strokes

Low blood pressure (hypotension) is pressure, so it causes symptoms or signs due to low blood flow through the arteries and veins. When blood flow is too low to deliver sufficient oxygen and nutrients to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, organs do not function normally and can be temporarily or permanently damaged.

Unlike hypertension,

 low blood pressure is mainly defined by the signs and symptoms of low blood flow and not by specific blood pressure numbers. Some individuals may have a blood pressure count of 90/50 without any symptoms on a regular basis and therefore do not have low blood pressure. However, people who have high blood pressure, in general, may develop symptoms of low blood pressure if their blood pressure falls to 100/60.

During pregnancy

 blood pressure decreases. Normal blood pressure may be less than 100/60 during pregnancy. If you are pregnant, your OB / GYN or midwife should monitor your baud pressure.

The human body maintains blood pressure using the heart muscle.

Source: MedicineNet


How does blood pressure work?

During cardiac (diastole) dysfunction, the left ventricle of the heart is filled with blood returning from the lungs. The left ventricle then shrinks and pumps blood into the arteries (systole). Arterial blood pressure is high during contraction of the ventricle (systolic pressure) because the blood in the arteries is actively drained out. It is reduced during ventricular dysfunction (diastolic pressure) when no blood is inserted into the arteries. When we feel that we place our fingers above the artery, it is due to the contraction of the left ventricle and the rejection of blood.

1. Blood pressure is determined by two factors: 
2.  blood pumped into the arteries by the left ventricle of the heart, and resistance to blood flow due to arterial walls (small arteries).

Typically, blood pressure is increased if blood is pumped into more arteries or if the arteries are narrow and/or rigid. Narrow and/or hardened arteries, by opposing blood flow, raise blood pressure. The artery may narrow when the muscles around them shrink. When atherosclerosis develops in older patients, the artery may become rigid and narrow.

Blood pressure is reduced: If less blood is being pumped into the arteries or if the arteries are larger and more flexible and therefore, resistance to blood flow is lower.

There are mechanisms to alter or maintain blood pressure and blood flow in the body.

In many ways blood pressure can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of blood in the arteries (cardiac output) by the heart, the amount of blood contained in the veins, the resistance of the arteries and the volume of blood.

The heart can contract at a higher rate more often and it can expel more blood with each contraction (more forcefully). Both these reactions increase blood flow to the arteries and raise blood pressure.

The veins may expand and narrow. When the veins expand, more blood can accumulate in the veins and less blood returns to the heart to pump into the arteries.

The kidneys may respond to changes in blood pressure by increasing or decreasing urine volume. When the kidneys urinate more, the blood volume (volume) that fills the arteries and veins decrease and it lowers blood pressure. If the kidneys make less urine, then the amount of blood that fills the arteries and veins and this increases the blood pressure. Compared to other mechanisms for adjusting blood pressure, changes in urine output gradually affect blood pressure over hours and days. (Other mechanisms are effective in seconds.)

For example, low blood volume due to bleeding (such as a stomach ulcer or a severe wound from injury) can lead to low blood pressure. The body quickly responds to reduced blood volume and pressure by making the following adjustments, which leads to an increase in all blood pressure:

The heart rate increases and the strength of the contraction of the heart increases, more blood is pumped through the heart.

The veins narrow to return more blood to pump blood.
To reduce the formation of urine, blood flow to the kidneys decreases and this increases the amount of blood in the arteries and veins.

Arterial narrowing to increase blood flow resistance.
These adaptive reactions will keep blood pressure in the normal range until the blood loss becomes so severe that the reactions are overwhelmed.


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