Two weeks ago, one of my patients asked me about the causes of low blood pressure. I can imagine that many people have the same question that is why I have decided to write this article for you.
Blood pressure is essential to maintain a sufficient delivery of nutrition and oxygen to your body’s organs such as the heart, brain and kidneys. Without an adequate blood pressure our organs will die, that is how you could end up with heart attack and stroke.
No question that high blood pressure is bad, however, not having adequate blood pressure and consequently impaired blood delivery to the body organs is bad, as well.
Have you experienced any dizziness in the past?
Most common symptoms related to low blood pressure is dizziness, blurred vision, weakness and at the end loss of consciousness. Some people may end up having stroke and heart attack as well. In severe cases, a low blood pressure can also result in kidney failure and requiring dialysis of the blood.
What causes low blood pressure?
Bleeding: One of the well-known causes of low blood pressure is bleeding. Clearly, if you get injured and the bleeding isn’t stopped then you will end up with low blood pressure and shock.
Other causes of low blood pressure are as follows,
Damage to the nerves: for instance, diabetes—a common chronic disease in our society—can cause damage to the nerves, other disease such as infections (syphilis, HIV), kidney failure, arterial diseases, cancer and immune induced problems could result in severe damages to the nerves.
Loss of volume/fluid: in addition to bleeding, any significant loss of fluid could result in low blood pressure, individuals who suffer diarrhea or vomiting could become dehydrate and have low blood pressure.
Medications: many medications, especially, blood pressure mediation could result in significant low blood pressure and cause accompanied symptoms. Narcotics and anti-depressants are other important causes of low blood pressure.
Heart failure: could be another reason for low blood pressure, individuals with valve issues or heart rhythm problems could also end up having low blood pressure.
What to do when you have low blood pressure?
Most importantly, you need to be seen by your doctor, if you symptoms are so bad that cannot wait until a visit at your doctor office is possible then you need to go to Emergency Room. The next step is to improve the blood pressure and at the same time to look for reasons for low blood pressure.
Did you have any low blood pressure in the past? What were the causes of your symptoms and how did you manage it?
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