Blood pressure is the force that moves blood through the circulatory system. It is an important force because oxygen and nutrients would not be pushed around the circulatory system to nourish tissues and organs without blood pressure
These pressure of the blood can be grouped into three which includes high, normal and low blood pressure. Any pressure of the blood that exceeds normal or below normal turn out to be pathologic and can be detrimental to our life.
Today I will be discussing on low blood pressure (hypotension) and why we need adequate medical check up.
Few days ago was a day I witnessed another incident after a long time now. The funny part of it was that it happened in the street where everyone was present. A woman who should be around her late forty slumbed in my presence and died.
At first I taught it was not serious, until she was confirmed dead by a doctor.
That day remains another terrible moment I have ever witnessed.
Hypotension
Low blood pressure is generally considered a blood pressure reading lower than 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for the top number (systolic) or 60 mm Hg for the bottom number (diastolic)
The pressure of the blood in this state is always dangerous and can lead to death if not being taken care of.
types of low blood pressure
orthostatic hypotension
Orthostatic blood pressure is a sudden decrease in the blood pressure that happens whenever you stand up very fast.
This is the ability of the gravity to pull blood down to your legs and instantly leads to a decrease in the pressure of the blood.
This decrease of blood pressure can be caused by a kind of medication taken. Orthostatic hypotension happens mainly during old age.
According to research, about 28 percent of older people suffers from orthostatic hypotension and this could possibly lead to fainting or unconsciousness.
This type of low blood pressure is mainly idiopathic only for just in few persons that are caused by bleeding, chemotherapy, dehydration and some antipsychotic drugs.
Postprandial hypotension
This is a decrease in the blood pressure that happens immediately after eating. This type of hypotension is also common among older adults. It normally comes with a symptoms like lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting after taken a meal.
causes
When someone eats a food. The intestine demands an increase of blood flow for proper digestion to take place. In this condition the heart rate increase while the artery that supplies blood to the other parts of the body constricts creating an increase in blood pressure.
This factor is controlled by the autonomic nervous system to make sure that everything is probably in control. But in older patient blood flow from the artery in other parts of the body decreases therefore causing a fall in the blood pressure.
conditions that results to low blood pressure
Low blood pressure can be caused by different factors, though sometimes the major cause of it is still yet unknown. The normal range of blood pressure is between 120 for systolic and 80 for diastolic any range below or above this should be considered not normal.
The causes includes:
pregnancy
During pregnancy, the blood vessels expands causing a drop in the pressure of the blood. This happens during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Heart and heart valve conditions
Any heart related issue like heart attack, heart valve disease and heart failure can cause a rapid decrease in the pressure of blood.
Dehydration
A decrease in the body water volume causes a decrease in the volume of blood therefore resulting to a downfall in the blood pressure.
Hormone related diseases
Conditions affecting the parathyroid or adrenal glands, such as Addison's disease, may cause blood pressure to drop. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and, sometimes, diabetes also may lower blood pressure
Conclusion
In this article I talked about how dangerous hypotension can be. This condition always requires a lot of medical care. This is to enable you know when your blood pressure is high or low.
I believe with the explanation above, we can be able to understand that regular check up is very vital in our daily activities.