If there are no other symptoms, low blood pressure (with a reading less than 90/60) is also known as Hypotension.
These two numbers are how blood pressure is recorded by a nurse or doctor. The higher of the two numbers, normally the first one, is called systolic pressure. This number is defined as a measurement of the pressure that exists in the arteries when the heart beats and pumps them full of blood – causing blood to flow through the body from the heart. The second and hopefully lower number is a measure of the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between its normal beats.
There is a normal measurement for healthy people that all readings are compared with. That normal reading would be 120/80. Low blood pressure is normally a good thing as it is a sign that the cardiovascular health is good for healthy people or athletes. If it low in an elderly person then that is a bad sign. In that case, it might indicate low blood flow (as in inadequate) to the heart, brain or other vital organs.
If blood pressure is chronically low and there are no symptoms then there isn’t a serious problem to go looking for. When the pressure drops suddenly then the brain in particular is in danger. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for a long time (because blood flow into it is affected) then people can go into a coma and become brain dead. A usual occurrence of getting low blood pressure happens when someone is sitting or lying down and stands up.
If this occurs, it’s known as postural hypotension and is considered a nervous system failure. It fails to signal the heart to take over and correct the pooling of the blood in lower extremities and get it back up into the body.
Both low and high blood pressure risks increase with age as a normal part of aging. Sometimes blood flow to the brain naturally decreases with age because of the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. For people over 65 about 10-20% of them are expected to have this condition.
There are several causes of low blood pressure. Although it is not always clear what the exact cause is you should look out for these items or any combinations of them. There may be hormonal problems with your thyroid, diabetes or low blood sugar situations to consider. Medicines can be the cause as it relates to over-the-counter drugs and maybe some bad combinations there. An overdose of high blood pressure medication can adversely lower your blood pressure too much. Several conditions related to the heart or blood vessels themselves can cause low blood pressure.
Sudden drops in blood pressure are the worst form of low blood pressure as they can be life-threatening events. Sudden loss of blood from intense bleeding, low or high body temperature, diseases of the heart muscle, a severe blood infection, severe dehydration (from vomiting, diarrhea or fever), reactions to medications or alcohol or a severe allergic reaction are all things to look out for that could be causing someone to have a sudden experience with low blood pressure.
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