It is widely accepted that high blood pressure is a major health problem and is associated with medical complications and greater risk of death from heart attack and stroke. Clinical studies have shown that controlling high blood pressure can lead to better survival. There have been reports that long-standing (or chronic) low blood pressure (or hypotension) may also be associated with symptoms and/or impaired quality of life. However, there is still an ongoing controversy between the Anglo-Saxon and German medical communities over whether or not chronic low blood pressure represents a disorder or a disease.
Chronic low blood pressure has been reported in 0.3-4% of the population, especially in the young. Individuals who, on repeated occasions, have blood pressure levels below 100/60 may sometimes develop non-specific symptoms of tiredness, sleep disturbances, giddiness, black-outs, fainting, anxiety or depression, or sweating, and may become more conscious of their heartbeats. This is known as "constitutional hypotension" in the German medical literature, but the diagnosis is generally not well-accepted by the Anglo-Saxon medical practitioners.. Similar symptoms are also commonly seen in patients with high blood pressure. Dramatic clinical symptoms such as fainting or loss of consciousness can occur with sudden drop in blood pressure, after eating, or after suddenly standing up.
A recent study of 9,008 British individuals with self-reported symptoms of low blood pressure such as tiredness, dizziness, headache and palpitation suggested that there may be an association between fatigue and low systolic blood pressure (the upper number in a blood pressure reading). When 10,314 males and females aged 35-55 in London were studied, investigators found a relationship between low blood pressure and psychological dysfunction.
There are different reasons why a person can have low blood pressure. The condition can be due to loss of lack of blood (anemia); low cardiac output (when not enough blood is being pumped out by the heart) due to heart failure or heart attack, drugs; alcohol; or diabetes. A drop in blood pressure after sudden changes in position may be due to a disturbance in the nervous system. These potentially correctable conditions need to be ruled out when a person sees the doctor due to symptoms related to low blood pressure. One should determine if the patient is using drugs that cause low blood pressure, such as nitrates, antidepressants, anti-Parkinson's disease drugs, and drugs that are used to control high blood pressure.
Because a number of psychological factors may also underlie low blood pressure (of no known cause), patients may benefit from psychological support. Although many of these patients dislike salt, they need to be repeatedly encouraged to eat more salt. Compressive stockings are also recommended because higher salt intake often leads to fluid accumulation in the legs of these patients The symptoms of low blood pressure can be reduced in some patients by tiptoe or isometric exercise. Patients should be advised to get up out of bed carefully or slowly in the morning. If symptom relief is still not sufficient, drugs such as dihydroergotamine, etilefrine, or amezinium) can be added to the regimen. If there are no symptoms or signs related to the low blood pressure, no treatment is given.
*courtesy of http://www.nanay.com*
*yepz, just remembered that it was anemia tat my family is suffering. lack of either the red or white blood cells*
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