Blood pressure is a measure of how much pressure is exerted on the walls of the capillaries as blood moves through them. The condition of the heart, the total volume of blood present in the body, vascular patency and other factors, including a person’s age and weight, can affect blood pressure (blood pressure). If, due to excessive physical activity or after suffering psycho-emotional shocks, blood pressure fluctuates, there is nothing to worry about, but such moments must be kept under control.
But if low diastolic pressure is constantly recorded, you need to take timely measures. Most often, the upper, systolic pressure increases when patients are diagnosed with hypertension, but low diastolic pressure is also not uncommon, and the doctor pronounces a verdict of hypotension. Next, we will discuss the causes of this condition, symptoms and ways to eliminate the problem.
What pressure is considered normal?
Blood pressure is divided into two indicators:
- upper (systolic) - it indicates the pressure of blood moving in the direction from the heart to the aorta and speaks of vascular resistance;
- lower (diastolic) - speaks of the strength of the blood, which returns to the heart, which is in a calm state and approaches the vena cava.
The average difference between the two blood pressure readings is 30–40 mmHg, with a blood pressure of 120/80 considered normal. Fluctuations in one direction or another, which do not affect a person’s well-being, are not considered pathological, therefore a tonometer reading of 115/75 mm Hg is not a reason for panic. There are some nuances to setting a normal blood pressure threshold.
Thus, blood pressure in older people is often higher than in middle-aged patients - this is explained by physiological changes that occur in the body over the years. Blood pressure indicators change when a person’s psychological state changes, after drinking strong tea or coffee, or after active physical activity, but at the same time it returns to normal on its own, without changing the state of health. A decrease in diastolic pressure on a regular basis indicates the development of hypotension; the same diagnosis is made to the patient if both blood pressure values - lower and upper - are constantly recorded below normal.
What to do if you have low blood pressure
You cannot fight low blood pressure on your own. First you need to determine whether such a problem is a pathology and what causes it. Otherwise, you can cause serious damage to your body.
If the problem is a concomitant disease, then treatment will be aimed specifically at eliminating the root cause of the pathology. In this case, drugs will be chosen depending on the diagnosis.
But even if hypotension is caused by a concomitant disease that is being treated, an unpleasant symptom in the form of low blood pressure may persist during the initial stages of therapy. In this case, hypertensive drugs will be used to eliminate symptoms.
For primary hypotension, only drugs to increase blood pressure are used. In this case, the patient will most likely have to take medications on an ongoing basis.
If low blood pressure is caused by external factors, then taking medications is not necessary. After eliminating the negative impact, the indicators normalize on their own.
Causes
If the lower pressure is constantly outside the norm, it means that an insufficient amount of blood passes through the network of arteries at the moment the heart muscle relaxes. This condition is considered pathological and dangerous and requires drug therapy and regular monitoring. It threatens gradual depletion of the myocardium if low diastolic pressure is constantly recorded with normal systolic pressure.
If both indicators decrease simultaneously, medications are not always prescribed; an examination of the patient is necessary. First of all, the difference in pressure and a decrease in diastolic values is observed in older people. This occurs during natural aging of the body or means depletion of the heart and blood vessels, which already requires therapeutic measures.
The next factor that needs to be taken into account when looking for the cause of low diastolic pressure is whether the person has bad habits. In smokers, nicotine leads to disturbances in the permeability of vascular walls and has a negative effect on the functions of the cardiovascular system as a whole. Alcohol abuse as a result of hangover and intoxication increases the load on the kidneys.
The body tries to remove alcohol, using its own resources, and the pressure drops. In cases where systolic pressure is high (more than 140 mmHg) and diastolic pressure is low, isolated systolic hypertension is diagnosed. Most often, this happens due to improper drug therapy, and the difference in pressure occurs as a reaction of the body.
An insufficient amount of blood entering the heart at the time of diastole (relaxation) also develops for the following reasons:
- hormonal and endocrine disorders - with hypothyroidism (insufficient production of thyroid hormones) the lower pressure often drops, while the upper pressure remains within normal limits;
- the result of losing a large amount of blood;
- dehydration;
- neurocircular dystonia - this condition is often diagnosed in adolescents and women during pregnancy, it is also called vegetative-vascular dystonia (the nervous system at this time cannot cope with the stress, which causes disruptions in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, changing blood pressure);
- anemia;
- toxic shock is a condition requiring immediate medical attention when diastolic pressure is very low, less than 40 mmHg.
When looking for reasons for the regular recording of low diastolic pressure, the doctor should pay attention to what indicators were observed in the patient throughout his life. If the upper and lower blood pressure readings have always been slightly below normal, for example, 100/60 or 110/70, this may not indicate pathology.
It is not recommended to look for the root of the problem on your own; it is better to visit an experienced doctor
Reduced diastolic pressure
Low lower pressure is considered to be 50-59 units or less. Such changes indicate a violation of the tone of the vascular wall. When the indicator is less than 50 units, we can talk about a pronounced disturbance of blood flow in the brain, kidneys and other organs.
Diastolic pressure decreases against the background of kidney pathology, for example, Gitelman and Bartter syndromes. This phenomenon is also typical for people with a congenital disorder in the production of certain hormones, including adrenaline. Such changes are accompanied by fever, muscle weakness, vomiting, cramps and abdominal pain.
The first thing to do in such a situation is to consult a doctor. For diagnostic purposes, blood pressure monitoring and examinations are carried out to exclude endocrine pathologies and heart diseases. To increase lower blood pressure, special medications are used.
Types of hypotension
Reduced diastolic blood pressure (hypotension) is divided into several types:
- Orthostatic hypotension. This diagnosis can be made to an elderly person, since this condition is provoked by age-related changes in the body. A decrease in diastolic pressure can be observed during sudden movements - lifting or bending, when blood quickly flows into the limbs. However, with an immediate decrease in pressure, the heart continues to work at the same rhythm, despite the presence of weakness, loss of balance, or even fainting.
- Vegetovascular hypotension. It is observed more often in adolescents, when the nervous and cardiovascular systems are not yet fully formed, and the brain receives incorrect commands. If a command was given to increase the pressure, it decreases.
- Postprandial hypotension. This type of hypotension is manifested by a decrease in blood pressure after eating. The heart does not accelerate as the blood moves downward, there is no vasoconstriction, and the patient feels a sharp rush to the legs.
If diastolic pressure is reduced, but a high pulse is recorded, this condition is considered potentially dangerous. It indicates that the heart pumps blood with effort, and its passage through the capillaries occurs with difficulty.
Internal factors
If hypotension occurs without the influence of external factors, then this may indicate the development of pathological processes in the body. At the same time, even a lower pressure of 60 can be a symptom of such problems. Therefore, it is important not to ignore this sign.
Internal causes of hypotension:
- Primary hypotension. The causes of this disease are unknown, but it is believed to be inherited. In this case, low blood pressure is not accompanied by other pathologies.
- Tumor formations. This symptom can accompany both malignant and benign neoplasms.
- Addison's disease. This pathology is also called adrenal dysfunction.
- Ulcerative diseases. Especially if they are accompanied by bleeding.
- Internal bleeding. This phenomenon is always accompanied by hypotension.
- Infectious processes in the body. A decrease in blood pressure is typical even with colds.
- Tuberculosis.
- Thyroid dysfunction. In this case, the organ does not secrete the hormones necessary for the body.
- Hormonal imbalances. Therefore, problems with blood pressure often arise during menopause, pregnancy and adolescence.
- Vegetative-vascular dystonia.
- Some diseases of bones and joints. Hypotension is most often caused by cervical osteochondrosis.
- Anemia and vitamin deficiency.
- Some diseases of the cardiovascular system. Most often, pathologies occur with insufficient cardiac function; this problem can also be caused by varicose veins.
Many of these diseases are dangerous. And the prognosis for their treatment is maximally optimistic only in the early stages of development.
Associated symptoms
When blood pressure decreases, blood flows to the internal organs and brain in insufficient quantities, which causes pale skin, blue lips, and cold hands and feet. It is important to pay attention to systolic pressure - these symptoms are observed when the upper readings remain within normal limits or decrease slightly.
In the case of systolic hypertension, when the lower pressure is less than normal and the upper pressure is increased, a person experiences the following sensations:
- headaches and dizziness;
- redness of the skin of the face;
- dyspnea;
- cardiopalmus;
- tremor of the limbs.
If diastolic pressure drops sharply, a person feels weak, lethargic and lacks strength.
High systolic pressure with low diastolic pressure always manifests itself as severe discomfort for a person and requires medical attention. Moreover, the severity of symptoms depends on how much the upper pressure has changed and the lower pressure has decreased; a large difference directly affects well-being.
What problems may arise if the indicators drop to 50
A lower pressure of 50 is already a serious deviation from normal values. In this case, more serious and dangerous manifestations may occur. Such pressure is not normal for anyone, so the patient in this case requires first aid.
What symptoms are added when diastolic pressure drops to 50 mm:
- Fainting conditions. In this case, the brain experiences severe oxygen starvation.
- Lack of air. Because of this, the patient will have a constant desire to yawn.
- Feeling nauseous. In some cases, vomiting may even begin.
- Very strong weakness. In this condition, the patient literally cannot stand on his feet.
You need to understand that such symptoms really pose a threat to life. If they occur, the patient may fall and be injured. It is especially dangerous to drive a car in this condition.
At this pressure, blood stagnation and hypoxia are quite serious. Because of this, pathologies of internal organs may develop.
In addition, if the pressure drops by even 10 mm, this can lead to the development of a heart attack and stroke. Also, due to acute hypotension, you can fall into a coma.
