Almost everyone is familiar with such a disease as arterial hypertension, but few people know about the existence of the opposite condition, arterial hypotension. Although low blood pressure is not as dangerous as its increase, it can nevertheless lead to a violation of the general well-being of a person, his performance, and sometimes be a sign of a more serious pathology, which must be taken into account when the patient complains of low blood pressure.

What is arterial hypotension

Arterial hypotension is a condition that is accompanied by a decrease in systemic arterial pressure below 100/60 mm Hg. Art. in men and 95/60 mm Hg. Art. among women. It must be clarified that hypotension as a disease occurs only with a persistent decrease in pressure, a once recorded low pressure, for example, in a dream, is not a disease - this is the norm.

It must also be remembered that a decrease in diastolic pressure alone, such as in aortic valve insufficiency, is not considered hypotension. It is also not hypotension and reduced pressure on one arm, for example, with Takayasu's disease.

Low blood pressure is a fairly common phenomenon and occurs in 5-7% of people in the population, while they have absolutely no complaints and pathological changes. Such hypotension is considered to be a variant of the norm (physiological hypotension), no treatment is required. There is also physiological hypotension of high fitness (in athletes) and hypotension of adaptation (in residents of mountainous regions, tropical latitudes and beyond the Arctic Circle). In other cases, low blood pressure refers to pathological conditions (primary or secondary) and requires drug and non-drug correction, as it is accompanied by pathological symptoms and a decrease in the quality of life.

Classification

V ICD 10 arterial hypotension is displayed under the heading of other and unspecified diseases of the circulatory system under the following codes:

• I 95 - hypotension;
• I 95.0 - idiopathic hypotension;
• I 95.1 - orthostatic hypotension;
• I 95.2 - drug hypotension;
• I 95.8 - other types of hypotension;
• I 95.9 - unspecified hypotension.

depending on the presence pathological signs reduced pressure emit:

• physiological hypotension (individual version of the norm, hypotension of athletes and adaptive hypotension, hypotension in the first trimester of pregnancy);
• pathological (in each case, if there are pathological signs of low blood pressure).

Depending on the disease development allocate:

• acute hypotension (shock, collapse, orthostatic transient hypotension);
• chronic hypotension.

Depending on the causes hypotension happens:

• primary (NCD by hypotonic type);
• secondary or symptomatic (Addison's disease, anemia, hypothyroidism, decreased cardiac output, bleeding, hypoglycemia, profuse diarrhea and diarrhea, Meniere's syndrome, some infectious diseases, gastric ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver, Shy-Drager syndrome, Bradbury-Egleston syndrome, etc. ).

Video broadcast about hypotension:

Causes of hypotension

Since the regulation of blood pressure is a very complex mechanism, which involves the tone of arteries and veins, heart rate and cardiac output, the volume of circulating fluid in the body, nervous and humoral regulation of all these processes (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, cardio - the vascular center of the medulla oblongata), then there are a lot of reasons for the malfunction of this system and hypotension. We will consider those that are most often found in everyday life.

The most common cause of hypotension is a violation of the regulation of vascular tone (neurocirculatory dystonia, orthostatic hypotension). The main mechanism that maintains a certain physiological level of blood pressure is the baroreceptor reflex arc. With a decrease in blood pressure, blood pressure on the walls of blood vessels, where baroreceptors are located, decreases. This leads (through a reflex arc that closes in the brain) to the activation of the latter and the release of catecholamines and RAAS components into the blood.

Due to such changes, arterioles narrow, their peripheral resistance increases and pressure rises. In addition, the veins narrow, which act as a kind of depot for blood, the heartbeat quickens and the stroke volume of the heart increases. Violations of the reflex regulation of the arterial and venous bed, which begin to respond inadequately to a decrease in pressure (do not narrow) and lead to persistent arterial hypotension in NCD and orthostatic hypotension.

Among heart diseases, arrhythmias most often lead to a decrease in pressure and fainting. Bradycardia and heart block (heart rate up to 60 per minute) are accompanied by a decrease in the minute volume of blood flow, which is manifested by hypotension. Also, a decrease in pressure can be observed with tachyarrhythmias, when the ejection of the heart becomes ineffective (group ventricular extrasystoles, ventricular fibrillation). Pressure can also decrease in the presence of interference with the outflow of blood from the heart (narrowing of the aortic valve, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, primary pulmonary hypertension, myxoma of the heart, intracardiac thrombus, pericardial tamponade).

Other causes of hypotension include:

• anemia (blood viscosity decreases);
• Addison's disease (adrenal insufficiency), adrenal amyloidosis, their surgical removal (deficiency in the body of catecholamines);
• reduced thyroid function;
• acute and chronic bleeding (decrease in BCC);
• infectious diseases;
• anaphylactic and other types of shock;
• overdose of certain medications (antihypertensive, diuretic, nitroglycerin).

The danger of hypotension lies in the fact that it leads to hypoperfusion and hypoxia of the brain with all the corresponding symptoms and consequences.

Symptoms of hypotension

It should be noted right away that in this article we will talk in detail about primary hypotension, which is also called hypotension. Since in secondary variants it is not the main symptom, therefore it does not play an important role for diagnosis.

Complaints of patients are very diverse and may include general weakness, headache, apathy, increased fatigue, decreased performance, memory impairment - all these are signs of chronic cerebral hypoxia, which develops with hypoperfusion of brain tissue. Often, hypotensive patients complain of shortness of breath at rest and during physical exertion, a feeling of lack of air, drowsiness, irritability, emotional lability, pain in the heart, dizziness, especially when changing body position. Men may develop erectile dysfunction, while women may develop decreased libido and menstrual dysfunction.

Often in patients with hypotension, there are signs such as a feeling of heaviness in the epigastrium, a bitter taste in the mouth, decreased appetite, belching, heartburn, flatulence, constipation.

Headache is often the most severe for the patient, and sometimes the only symptom of hypotension. It appears after sleep (especially during the day), physical and mental labor. Also, pain can be provoked by eating, fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, a long stay in an upright position. The pain is dull, bursting or throbbing, localized in the temples, forehead and parietal bone, lasting from several hours to several days. In some cases, it takes the form of a migraine.

During a medical examination, as a rule, pathological changes, in addition to low blood pressure and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction, are not found. About the violation of the regulation of vascular tone in NCD say:

• increased sweating of the palms and feet;
• tremor of the eyelids and outstretched fingers;
• pallor of the skin with their bluish tint;
• persistent red dermographism;
• violation of the process of thermoregulation (temperature fluctuations in the range from 35.5 0 С to 37.5 0 С);
• sharp fluctuations in heart rate and pressure throughout the day;
• all laboratory results (blood and urine tests) and instrumental studies (ECG, X-ray, ultrasound) do not go beyond the normal range.

Hypotonic disease is characterized by a wave-like course. The process is aggravated mainly in spring and summer, as well as after infectious diseases, stressful situations.

Interesting fact

Julius Caesar had a peculiar idea about the types of nervous regulation of autonomic functions (the predominance of the sympathetic or parasympathetic part of the nervous system). In his army, he selected only those warriors who reacted to a stressful situation with redness of the face (the predominance of the sympathetic NS, which prepares the body for self-defense or an offensive), and not with blanching (the predominance of the tone of the parasympathetic NS, as in the case of primary hypotension).

Investigating the mechanisms of development of autonomic dysfunction (why does the brain suddenly begin to react inappropriately to life situations?), scientists came to the conclusion that the nature of this condition has a phylontogenetic character. Today you can meet certain types of animals that react to danger with a drop in blood pressure, bradycardia and fainting (the reaction of “false death”). Such behavior often saves the life of an animal, because a predator may simply not notice it or will not eat carrion. Here is such a funny theory of the development of primary hypotension in humans.

The most common nosological forms of hypotension

So, let's consider the nosological forms of hypotension, which are most often found, in more detail.

Video instruction for the correct measurement of blood pressure:

NCD by hypotonic type

Neurocirculatory dystonia is a disease that is classified as a group of functional disorders of the body, manifested by cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory and other autonomic disorders, poor tolerance to stressful situations and physical exertion. The emotional-volitional sphere of the psyche often suffers with the development of depression, hypochondria, emotional lability, tearfulness, asthenia.

The disease proceeds in waves and has a favorable prognosis, since there are no organic changes in the organs. Most often, adolescents and women of the young age group get sick.

The exact causes of the disorder are not known. Among the alleged ones are the innate characteristics of the nervous system, hormonal imbalance, adverse environmental conditions and constant stressful situations, chronic intoxication, poor socio-economic living conditions.

Exposure to these risk factors leads to dysregulation of autonomic functions in genetically prone people. As a result, there is a disruption of the normal reaction to stimuli, an imbalance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS, which manifests itself in the form of a variety of pathological symptoms.

There are several variants of NCD, depending on which symptoms prevail in the clinical picture: NCD of the cardiac, hypertonic, hypotonic or mixed type.

In NCD of the hypotonic type, the main symptom is persistent hypotension with all the associated symptoms. The discrepancy between a large number of patient complaints and the absence of changes in the organs according to laboratory and instrumental examinations helps in the diagnosis.

Orthostatic hypotension

The occurrence of orthostatic hypotension is associated with a violation of the postural reflex. Consider what it is.

There is much more blood in the human venous system than in the arterial bed (depot for blood). In connection with the upright posture of a person, most of the veins are below the level of the heart. Under the action of transmural and hydrostatic pressure, the veins are stretched, which contributes to an increase in the volume of the venous bed. When moving from a horizontal to a vertical position, 500-800 ml of blood additionally moves into the venous vessels, and this leads to a sharp restriction in the return of blood to the heart - cardiac output and blood pressure fall. The baroreceptors of the walls of large vessels “report” such a situation to the vasomotor center, which causes an immediate increase in sympathetic tone, vasoconstriction, an increase in heart rate and an increase in pressure (postural reflex). Therefore, normally, the transition from a lying position to a standing position causes a short-term decrease in blood pressure (by 5-10 mm Hg).

The weakening of this reflex for some reason leads to the development of orthostatic hypotension. With a sharp change in position, the patient feels dizzy, noise or ringing in the ears, nausea, “flies” before the eyes, in some cases, fainting may occur.

An orthostatic test is used for diagnosis. If the fall in systolic blood pressure after standing up is greater than 30 mm Hg. Art., and diastolic - 15 mm Hg. Art., and all this is accompanied by the above symptoms, then the diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension is beyond doubt.

In addition to primary hypotension, orthostatic hypotension can develop with internal bleeding, an overdose of ganglioblockers, prolonged bed rest, with damage to the conduction pathways of the baroreflex in the spinal cord and peripheral nerve formations (tumors, amyloidosis, diabetes mellitus, dorsal tabes, Shy-Drager syndrome, Bradbury-Egleston ).

Medical hypotension

There are several groups of drugs that reduce blood pressure, overdose or irrational and without a doctor's prescription dosing of which can lead to hypotension and the need for urgent measures. As a rule, these are drugs from the category of treatment of hypertension (diuretics, ACE inhibitors, sartans, calcium channel blockers, alpha and beta blockers, centrally acting drugs, nitroglycerin).

In the case of hypertension and an overdose of drugs, hypotension can also be spoken of when the pressure exceeds the threshold established for this disease. The fact is that if the patient's pressure was at the level of 180/90 for a long time, then its decrease even to 130/80 mm Hg. Art. leads to impaired perfusion of vital organs (heart, kidneys, brain).

Symptoms of an overdose of antihypertensive drugs:

• orthostatic collapse;
• transient ischemic attacks;
• blurred vision;
• development of cardiac arrhythmias;
• increase in signs of renal failure.

Urgent care:

• put the patient in a horizontal position for 2-3 hours;
• the introduction of specific antidotes in case of an overdose of certain drugs, for example, in case of an overdose of diuretics - intravenous administration of an isotonic solution, calcium channel blockers - calcium gluconate, mezaton, dopamine, norepinephrine, etc.).

Prevention of an overdose of antihypertensive drugs is taking them only as prescribed by a doctor, the absence of self-correction of the dose of the drug, regular visits to your doctor, self-monitoring of blood pressure.

When and how to treat hypotension

Treatment of hypotension is not an easy task, and it is not always necessary. It is necessary to eliminate low blood pressure only in the case of pathological hypotension, when its symptoms disrupt the usual way of life. Therapy of secondary hypotension is reduced to the elimination of its cause, but the treatment of primary hypotension is not always successful. In the vast majority of cases, they try to cope with it with medicines, which is fundamentally wrong. First, there are practically no pharmacological drugs capable of increasing blood pressure that can be taken on a long-term basis in modern medicine. Secondly, you can get rid of low blood pressure using some non-drug methods and a change in lifestyle, which is where you should start. Primary hypotension is treated by a cardiologist, neurologist, internist and family doctor.

Video on how to deal with hypotension:

Non-drug methods

First you need to optimize your daily routine. With the help of simple hygiene measures, you can get rid of low blood pressure:

• make for yourself a clear daily routine with a rational alternation of work and rest;
• you need to get enough sleep (night sleep 7-8 hours);
• be sure to include in the routine morning tonic gymnastics and water procedures;
• walk in the fresh air up to 2 hours a day (biking, walking, other active pastime);
• a full and varied diet (4-5 times a day), while the diet should be enriched with foods that can increase blood pressure - animal protein, salt, strong tea and coffee, cocoa, spicy and spicy dishes, but all this is within reasonable limits ;
• take additional vitamins and minerals (A, C, potassium, magnesium);
• to refuse from bad habits;
• visit a psychotherapist in order to acquire stress resistance, correction of the emotional state;
• do not get hung up on your condition, it is better to use this energy for other purposes, for example, start some kind of hobby.

Medical therapy

As already mentioned, there are no effective and safe medicines for high blood pressure. For this purpose, mainly plant and biological neurostimulants are used - pantocrine, eleutherococcus extract, infusion of Chinese magnolia vine, ginseng, echinacea, radiola extract, infusion of aralia, zamanihi. They are recommended to be used together with an infusion of valerian root. The most common treatment regimen is 30 drops of Eleutherococcus half an hour before meals 3 times a day along with 200 mg of vitamin C.

A positive effect can also be observed with the use of saparal, caffeine (50-100 mg 2-3 times a day), etimizole 100 mg 3 times a day for 1 month.

It is possible to achieve an increase in pressure with the use of cordiamine, drugs of the strychnine group, adrenomimetics - mezaton, ephedrine, mineral and glucocorticoids, but such treatment is associated with an increased risk of developing various side effects (only a doctor should prescribe it, evaluating the benefit / risk ratio).

Physiotherapy

• electrophoresis with a solution of calcium chloride, caffeine, mezaton;
• galvanic collar according to Shcherbak;
• diadynamic therapy of the cervical sympathetic nodes;
• contrast shower and other water procedures;
• general ultraviolet exposure;
• massage and reflexology;
• darsonvalization of the scalp.

As a rule, hypotension is the lot of young people, with age it goes away on its own. Therefore, hypotensive patients should regularly visit a doctor and control their pressure, because artificially raising it for a long time can lead to the development of hypertension in the future, which is already dangerous, both for health and for life.

Low blood pressure is a condition that can be both a physiological norm and a pathology that requires medical intervention. But before engaging in the therapy of hypotension, it is necessary to comprehensively consider hypotension, how to diagnose, treat and prevent this pathology.

What is hypotension

Hypotension is a disease that is diagnosed in the presence of two conditions: if the systolic pressure is below 95-100 mm Hg, and the diastolic pressure is 60 mm Hg. Art., while the indicators should be stable.

Reduced pressure is a less dangerous pathology than hypertension, but with prolonged pathology, hypoxia occurs - oxygen deficiency in the tissues of the body, which negatively affects the operation of all systems. Hypoxia has the most detrimental effect on the brain.

Classification

Low blood pressure is not always a reflection of pathology. There are individual characteristics of the organism, in which an objectively low level is the norm for a particular organism as an adaptation to various external and internal factors. Physiologically conditioned hypotension occurs in athletes, in people living in mountainous areas, in pregnant women in the third trimester.

Any other hypotension is considered a pathology. There are two types of hypotension:

• acute;
• chronic.

Acute hypotension can be dangerous, as it occurs against the background of toxic or anaphylactic shock, collapse. Chronic hypotension is always symptomatic, that is, secondary. Endocrine diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, blood loss, and disorders of the digestive tract can provoke a decrease in blood pressure.

There is also the so-called drug hypotension. It develops during the treatment of hypertension, when the drug or dosage is chosen incorrectly. Hypotension develops not only when taking antihypertensive drugs, but also diuretics, nitroglycerin.

Causes of hypotension

Considering the pathological causes of hypotension, the following common diseases can be distinguished:

• anemia;
• adrenal insufficiency;
• reduced thyroid function;
• infections;
• bleeding, including internal.

Pathogenesis

In order to understand the mechanism of hypotension, it is necessary to know how the body regulates the level of blood pressure. On the inner walls of the vessels there are special receptors that respond to the level of blood pressure inside the vessels. If the receptors detect a decrease in blood pressure, they release substances into the blood that provoke an increase in pressure. The vessels narrow, from small vessels that act as a "depot", an additional volume of blood enters the bloodstream - thus the condition is normalized.

But if a failure occurs in this mechanism at any of the stages, the pressure remains low and hypotension develops. In most cases, the problem is that the vessels cannot narrow to the required diameter, that is, the body fixes the problem, but does not eliminate it.

Sometimes the reason for the violation of the process of normalization of blood pressure is an obstruction of the outflow of blood from the heart: a thrombus, tamponade.

Symptoms of hypotension

Headache is the main symptom of hypotension. As the disease progresses, it becomes permanent, although at the beginning of the pathological process it can occur immediately after waking up, after physical or mental stress.

The clinical picture of hypotension often resembles vegetative-vascular dystonia. A person may complain of causeless weakness, drowsiness, low vitality, unwillingness to do anything. People suffering from hypotension often note that they are sensitive to atmospheric pressure. This symptom is too nonspecific to be used in diagnostics, especially since complaints made about the “weather” in most cases are a reflection of the internal state of the body, and not external factors. Signs of VVD of the hypotonic type are also expressed in tremor and sweating, dizziness when changing position, feeling faint in a hot room or loud noise. There may also be fainting.

As the disease progresses, when hypoxia has a negative effect on the brain, cognitive impairment can be noticed. The patient may complain of a decrease in memory, perception of information. Emotional lability may occur: causeless mood swings, tearfulness, irritability.

And finally, another sign of hypotension is reduced libido, both in men and women.

Diagnostics

In chronic hypotension, a standard health examination is performed:

• biochemical composition of blood;
• clinical blood test;
• Analysis of urine.

Under reduced pressure, as a rule, all indicators remain within the normal range. To exclude symptomatic hypotension, studies are carried out on the level of hormones of the thyroid gland, pituitary gland, adrenal glands.

In order to fix the fact of a consistently low level of blood pressure, it is required to take measurements with a tonometer at least 2 times a day for 10-14 days or use daily pressure monitoring using a special device.

Treatment

Not all cases require low blood pressure therapy. If a person feels normal, then his body has adapted to the condition.

In addition, there is no medical treatment for hypotension, as there is for hypertension. There are medications that can raise blood pressure levels for a short time, but they should not be taken for a long time.

Sometimes doctors recommend herbal preparations that activate the activity of the sympathetic division of the nervous system. It can be tincture of Eleutherococcus, Schisandra chinensis, caffeine tablets. But you can take them, like any pharmacological preparations, only after consulting with your doctor.

Much more effective way of treatment with the help of the rules of a healthy lifestyle. Simple healing techniques allow you to normalize the activity of the autonomic nervous system, increase vascular tone:

• full sleep for at least 8 hours in a dark, well-ventilated area;
• daily walks in comfortable shoes;
• contrast shower, as you get used to - dousing with cold water;
• proper nutrition with the necessary balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins;
• rejection of bad habits;
• psychotherapist consultation.

Taking into account the fact that the clinical picture of hypotension is similar to the pathogenesis of vegetative-vascular dystonia, it can be recommended that patients be distracted from attacks of poor health if they occur suddenly and do not pose any risk to a person. The fact is that with a pronounced excitement for one's well-being, the autonomic nervous system is activated, and the subsequent attack of a panic attack will cause unpleasant symptoms, much more pronounced than the symptoms of hypotension.

Hypotension as a condition and disease is usually underestimated. High blood pressure is perceived by the majority as more dangerous, and low blood pressure numbers do not make an impression, including on medical workers. Without belittling the dangerous consequences of hypertension, it should still be noted that lowering blood pressure should be treated no less carefully, since it also often has a negative effect on the body. It is useful for hypotension patients and their environment to know what hypotension is and how to help a person with such a disease.

Hypotension: what is it, its types

Hypotension usually refers to a persistent decrease in blood pressure. The upper limit in this case for men is 100/60 mm Hg. Art., and for women - 95/60 mm Hg. st..

Hypotension can be acute and chronic, the second type can be primary or secondary.

Acute hypotension

It develops in a short time - from a few seconds to several hours. Such a rapid decrease in blood pressure causes acute oxygen starvation of organs and tissues, since the vascular system does not have time to adjust to a new mode of operation.

Chronic hypotension

It develops for a long time, and the body gradually adapts to this type of blood circulation, the symptoms of insufficient oxygen supply to the tissues are not pronounced. Types of chronic hypotension:

• primary, congenital, associated with the physical constitution of a person;
• secondary, arising from any disease or environmental conditions:

Hypotension - who is it?

Those who are called hypotensive are people with chronic hypotension. They can be divided into two groups - those who are not bothered by low pressure and those who experience various unpleasant sensations in this state. "Natural" hypotonics are usually slender, tall, with a narrow chest. The second type is highly trained athletes, whose blood vessels dilate over time, adapting to constant physical exertion. Hypotension should be treated if the following conditions occur as a result of low blood pressure:

• frequent fainting, dizziness;
• pathological drowsiness, lethargy;
• fast fatiguability;
• feeling of constant fatigue in the morning;
• headache;
• irritability;
• noise in ears;
• memory impairment;
• violation of potency in men and the menstrual cycle in women;
• violation of thermoregulation, increased sweating;
• poor adaptation to changes in external temperatures, humidity, changes in physical activity;
• tendency to motion sickness in transport, frequent bouts of nausea and yawning.

Pregnancy often makes women hypotensive during the period of carrying a baby, since vascular tone is lowered during this period.

Hypotension: causes and treatment of its medication

The causes of acute hypotension are usually:

• acute massive blood loss,
• poisoning,
• injuries that contribute to the inclusion of hypotensive reflexes,
• acute violation of the activity of the heart,
• shock states.

Causes of chronic secondary hypotension:

• infectious diseases,
• intoxication,
• dehydration,
• tumors,
• heart disease,
• the use of drugs that lower blood pressure,
• rarefied air when living in high mountains,
• high or low temperatures while living in hot or cold countries.

Acute hypotension is a condition that requires immediate medical attention and should be treated by qualified professionals. The task of others is to call an ambulance.

Patients usually cope with chronic hypotension on their own, but there is a danger of the other extreme - the use of drugs without consulting a doctor. This is unacceptable, as it threatens the development of complications.

In the treatment of hypotension, the following groups of drugs are used:

1. Adrenergic stimulants. They help with drowsiness, lethargy, have almost no effect on the pulse rate.
2. Analeptics. Stimulate the vasomotor centers of the brain, improve mood and performance.
3. Adrenomimetics. They have a vasoconstrictive effect, as a result, increase systolic and diastolic pressure.
4. Anticholinergics. Applied when hypotension is accompanied by a tense state of the vagus nerve.
5. Nootropics. Assign in combination with vascular drugs, help improve blood circulation in the brain.
6. Vitamins.

How to treat hypotension without medication

The most difficult period of the day for a hypotensive person is the morning, when fatigue piles up, as if he had not rested. In order to reduce discomfort, follow the recommendations:

• monitor the duration of night sleep - it should be at least 8 hours;
• it is better to get out of bed without sudden movements, gradually, because with a quick transition to a vertical position, the blood drains from the head and you can faint;
• take a contrast shower in the morning - alternating hot and cool water for 5 minutes tones the blood vessels and normalizes blood pressure;
• carrying out a complex of physical exercises is also able to “wake up” sluggish vessels;
• breakfast is a prerequisite for normal well-being during the day, it must contain a caffeinated drink - coffee or green tea, a cheese sandwich;
• nutritional features for hypotension - a sufficient amount of fluid in the diet, the use of salt, hot spices, spices, fractional nutrition;
• to increase vascular tone, balneotherapy is useful - baths with various herbs and substances in a clinic or at a resort
• improves the condition of visiting baths and saunas;
• conducting a medical stimulating massage also restores tone, improves mood.

Hypotension: treatment at home with alternative methods

Traditional medicine presents many recipes used under reduced pressure. The most famous stimulants:

• tincture of ginseng;
• tincture of Schisandra chinensis;
• tincture of Aralia Manchurian;
• leuzea extract;
• honey with dried apricots;
• ginger;
• celery juice, pomegranate juice;
• herbal infusions from the collection, including tartar, succession, motherwort, St. John's wort, nettle, rhodiola root and lure high, etc.

The symptoms of hypotension are a reason for increased attention to your body and the reason for a visit to a doctor who can expertly understand the causes of the disease in each case, and also suggest the most appropriate methods of treatment.

Hypotension (hypotension) is a violation in the vessels. Arterial hypotension is, accordingly, a violation of pressure in the arteries. The pressure depends on the heart rate. The prefix "hypo-" indicates insufficient pressure, that is, the blood in the arteries is not pumped as intensively as it should. You can talk about hypotension if the pressure is 20% lower than normal. The norm is considered to be 120/80, and with indicators lower than 90/60, it is worth considering the presence of hypotension.

Symptoms of hypotension

Blood pressure is a measured value, it can be determined using a tonometer. If the device shows values ​​​​of 90 mm Hg systolic (so-called upper) and 60 mm Hg diastolic (lower) or lower, then this condition can be called arterial hypotension or low blood pressure.

In addition to the readings of the tonometer, there are the following symptoms of hypotension:

Arterial hypotension very often manifests itself, especially in stuffy rooms. In general, we can say that people with low blood pressure react negatively to the slightest changes in the external environment - to changes in air temperature, humidity, stuffiness, as well as to various emotional stimuli.

By themselves, these signs are not symptoms that accurately confirm the presence of hypotension. Isolated cases of weakness or dizziness do not indicate low pressure. But if there are several symptoms and they are constant, then you should consult a doctor.

Types of arterial hypotension

Hypotension can be primary or secondary. Primary occurs as an independent disease. Most often, its cause is low activity of the autonomic nervous system or psycho-emotional stress. Otherwise, it is called idiopathic.

Secondary hypotension is much more common - resulting from other diseases. Hypotension may accompany the following diseases:

1. Endocrine disorders, including, and most often - disorders of the adrenal glands;
2. Injuries to internal organs and especially to the brain;
3. Cirrhosis of the liver;
4. Hepatitis;
5. peptic ulcer;
6. Others.

It makes no sense to treat secondary low blood pressure without treating the underlying disease., getting rid of which will lead to the normalization of blood pressure.

Hypotension may be:

• Acute;
• chronic;

Acute hypotension occurs with the most severe diagnoses and is characterized by a sharp drop in pressure. Hypotension as a concomitant condition is characteristic of a heart attack, arrhythmias and cardiac disorders, a severe allergic reaction or a large one.

Chronic hypotension is also called physiological. It occurs among athletes, but can also occur in people for whom low blood pressure is a variant of the norm and does not cause negative symptoms. Reduced pressure is also characteristic of people who permanently live in adverse conditions, for example, among residents of the Far North or the tropics. If low blood pressure worries, then such chronic hypotension is pathological and requires correction and treatment.

Orthostatic hypotension

In some cases, orthostatic collapse can often occur in the morning when waking up and getting out of bed.

Very common orthostatic hypotension - a sharp decrease in blood pressure with a change in body position. This is a fairly common condition among adolescents, when a growing body requires more intensive vascular work. Standing up or standing upright for long periods of time may not provide enough blood to the brain. As a result, the pressure drops, dizziness occurs, it gets dark in the eyes, and fainting may occur. This condition is called orthostatic collapse. If a few minutes after the collapse, there is a decrease in pressure, and the signs of hypotension do not disappear, then we can talk about.

The causes of orthostatic hypotension can be dehydration, taking certain medications (drugs for hypertension, antidepressants), diseases (diabetes, etc.).

Reasons for low blood pressure

As mentioned, other diseases can cause hypotension. The causes of hypotension are also taking medications, including drugs that treat hypertension.

Cause hypotension the following factors:

1. Decreased blood volume due to dehydration or blood loss;
2. Heart failure, heart failure;
3. Poor vascular tone;
4. Lack of vitamins;
5. Neurosis and depression;
6. sleep deprivation;
7. External influence: bad weather conditions, for example, high humidity.

The main reason can be considered decreased vascular tone. In hypotensive patients, the vessels (arteries) do not contract fast enough, as a result of which blood is pumped more slowly than is necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

The cause of hypotension may be a congenital predisposition.

Why is hypotension dangerous?

It is not hypotension itself that should cause concern, but the causes of low pressure. It is necessary to identify the true causes of this condition and pay close attention to them in order to prevent the development of serious diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Low blood pressure and pregnancy

The danger is low blood pressure during pregnancy. If the expectant mother has hypotension, the fetus experiences oxygen starvation as a result of poor oxygen supply to the placenta, which can result in developmental disorders. Pregnant women with low blood pressure are more likely to experience toxicosis and - in the later stages -.

The insidiousness of hypotension in pregnant women is that it is difficult to notice. Lethargy and fatigue, as well as other associated symptoms of hypotension, are considered some deviation from the normal course of pregnancy, but not hypotension. In such cases, the care of the doctor leading the pregnancy is very important.

Cardiac manifestations

Particular attention requires low lower pressure, which is a sign of low vascular elasticity and leads to. To combat this, the heart begins to work harder, and, consequently, the upper - systolic - pressure rises. The difference between the upper and lower pressure is called pulse pressure and should not exceed 40 mmHg. Any deviations of this difference lead to lesions of the cardiovascular system.

infographic: AiF

Advantages of the pathological condition

Arterial hypotension is most often a physiological state of the body and does not pose a danger. On the contrary, it is easier to say why hypotension is not dangerous. Hypotonics are not afraid of the most insidious disease of our time, which gives rise to and, -. With hypotension, the blood vessels remain clean longer and are not afraid of atherosclerosis. According to statistics, people with chronic hypotension live much longer than hypertensive patients.

Low blood pressure treatment

In most cases, medical treatment of hypotension is not required. The most common causes of low blood pressure are unhealthy lifestyle and stress. Physiological hypotension should not be treated, but it must be remembered in order to prevent pressure surges. If you are concerned about any one symptom of hypotension, for example, drowsiness, then, first of all, it is worth adjusting the daily routine. This alone is enough to cope with an unpleasant condition. You can call on the fight against hypotension traditional medicine.

If hypotension is caused by neurological disorders or malformations of the cardiovascular system, then the doctor should prescribe treatment. If a person observes the symptoms of low blood pressure for a long time, then you should definitely contact a cardiologist and a neurologist to conduct an examination and prescribe the necessary pills, as well as give recommendations on lifestyle changes.

Hypotension and traditional medicine

Treatment with folk remedies very effective for hypotension. There are many herbal preparations that improve the well-being of hypotensive patients. These plants include:

It is worth taking these herbal preparations in the absence of contraindications according to the usual schemes indicated on the package.

It is believed that freshly brewed coffee saves from low blood pressure. Indeed, the invigorating effect of caffeine has been proven. But, firstly, it is much more contained in green tea, and secondly, addiction to caffeine quickly enough, therefore, the therapeutic effect will disappear.

With a general decrease in tone and the so-called blues, a slight antidepressant effect sufficient to treat hypotension can be exerted by St. John's wort.

Lifestyle with hypotension

Hypotension, if it is not caused by organic disorders, can be perfectly corrected by the right way of life. To avoid the need for medication to treat hypotension, you should:

1. Observe the regime of the day;
2. Get enough sleep (as a rule, hypotensive patients need more sleep than people with normal pressure);
3. Eat right, providing yourself with all the vitamins and minerals, and if this is not possible with normal nutrition, you should take vitamin complexes;
4. Drink enough water;
5. More often to be in the air, it is advisable to take a walk every day for at least half an hour;
6. Go in for sports - even minimal physical activity works wonders, it should not be a professional sport, of course, morning exercises, active games with children are enough;
7. Take water procedures - douse yourself with cool water, swim, harden;
8. Visit a bath or sauna, which have a beneficial effect on vascular tone;
9. Keep a good mood and not worry about trifles.

infographic: AiF

Proper nutrition

It is very important to eat right at low pressure. It is necessary to include foods rich in B vitamins in your diet. Foods that increase blood pressure are yeast products (bread, kvass), milk, potatoes, carrots, nuts, honey. Normalizes the pressure of beets and beet juice, which is recommended to be taken in courses if there are no problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

You can quickly raise low pressure by drinking a cup of coffee with chocolate, but this method will work only if it is used infrequently, and is not regular.

People with low blood pressure, when compared with hypertensive patients, are incredibly lucky, because they do not need to critically limit themselves in salt and spices. Salt retains water, which means it increases blood volume, which has a beneficial effect on blood pressure. Spices and spices also improve the well-being of hypotensive patients, because they “cheer up” the body, make all internal organs work better, increase vascular tone, which also leads to normalization of pressure.

Attention! Excessive salt intake can still harm other organs , so it's not worth it to abuse it.

So let's summarize the above. Arterial hypotension is a condition characterized by low blood pressure in the arteries. It can be primary, that is, arising independently, and secondary - as a result of other diagnoses.

The causes of arterial hypotension are usually either disorders in the work of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, or psycho-emotional stress. In the first case, it is necessary to correct organic lesions with medication, consulting a cardiologist or neurologist. In the second case, you can get by with lifestyle adjustments and traditional medicine.

Video: hypotension in the Philosophy of Health program

If you open any manual on cardiology, the most up-to-date National Guidelines, and briefly or carefully read the materials of recent conferences on cardiology, you will not find there a worthy mention of low blood pressure as a significant problem.

Everything is focused on heart failure, heart rhythm disturbances, and other "big" sections of cardiology, which lead, respectively, to high costs for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients.

Such a disease and condition seems to exist, but out of sight of doctors. Let's try to understand in more detail the causes and treatment of hypotension - the problem of low blood pressure. First of all, what is it? Which condition meets the criteria for hypotension?

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What is arterial and muscular hypotension?

First of all, do not confuse the two states. Arterial hypotension is a syndrome in which, due to low blood pressure, a reduced cardiac output is formed. As a result, with a sudden increase in physical or emotional stress, under the influence of an increase in the tone of the sympathetic nervous system, a relative oxygen deficiency occurs. As a result, hypotensive patients have a longer time during which they adapt to increased load.

The criterion is a steady decrease in blood pressure during hypotension:

• 100/60 and below for men;
• 95/60 and below in women.

The lower threshold of blood pressure in hypotension is individual, however, the state in which systolic pressure decreases to less than 55-50 mm. rt. Art., can be considered threatening.

However, there is also muscle hypotension. This symptom complex has nothing to do with blood pressure, and neurologists deal with it. The cause of muscle hypotension can be peripheral (flaccid) paralysis, various hereditary and neuromuscular diseases, including rare ones.

An overdose of tranquilizers, some coma, and diseases of the cerebellum can lead to diffuse muscle hypotension. Desalting of the body in a hot climate, heat stroke can also lead to a drop in muscle tone.

• Diffuse muscle hypotonia is manifested by weakness, lethargy, "looseness" in the joints, or hypermobility.

But we will no longer return to muscular hypotension, but will talk about low blood pressure (arterial hypotension).

In turn, hypotension can be acute and chronic. Collapse and fainting (the most harmless options) lead to acute hypotension. More serious causes are ongoing bleeding and various types of shock, in which acute cardio-vascular insufficiency develops (cardiogenic shock, infectious-toxic, burn, pain, trauma). We will not consider these options either, but will touch on chronic hypotension, with which a person lives every day, and says about himself that he is “hypotonic”.

What are the possible causes of low blood pressure?

It is important to understand that there are many different factors that result in two situations:

1. The heart changes its work. It contracts with less force, or with less frequency;
2. The vascular arterial bed reduces its peripheral resistance and increases its volume. It also leads to a decrease in blood pressure, and may be the cause of hypotension in the elderly, for example, with an overdose of nitroglycerin.

What reasons can lead to the emergence of these mechanisms that reduce pressure?

• Vegetovascular dystonia with activation of the parasympathetic division. In this case, the patient often has drowsiness, chilliness;
• Overwork, both physical and mental;
• Fasting, or a diet with a sharp decrease in daily calories;
• Consequences of concussions and bruises of the brain;
• Cervical osteochondrosis with compression vascular syndromes;
• Hypothyroidism;
• Heart rhythm disturbances (atrial fibrillation);
• Various valvular defects, for example, stenosis of the aorta, mitral valve;
• Infectious diseases, intoxication. It is especially possible to single out a disease such as diphtheria, which occurs with a pronounced cardiotoxic effect.

The list contains both diseases and functional conditions, which can even be considered a variant of the norm. So, vegetovascular dystonia can accompany a person all his life. He knows perfectly well that only hot tea, or coffee, or even a glass of cognac can cheer him up.

At the same time, his parents also never complained about an increase in blood pressure all their lives. This condition can be called true hypotension.

Separate causes of hypotension can be called existence in high altitude conditions, and the appearance of hypotension in trained athletes, when this is an adaptive option.

Symptomatic hypotension occurs when there is a visible obstacle to creating normal pressure in the blood vessel system. These cases include, for example, various arrhythmias, or valvular heart disease. With timely operations, normal blood pressure in the vascular system is restored. What are the signs of low blood pressure, or hypotension?

Symptoms and signs of hypotension in adults

In many cases, the symptoms of hypotension are very variable, and a person can "sin" for fatigue, colds, lack of sleep. And in many cases, he is right, since often a decrease in the sympathetic tone of the heart and blood vessels accompanies all these conditions, which leads to hypotension. The most common signs of hypotension are:

• Periodic, weak and diffuse headache.

Usually a headache bothers the evening, as it occurs after exercise. In the event that it is combined with the syndrome of intracranial hypertension, then it can also occur in the morning. Usually headaches occur in the frontal-temporal-parietal region, and very rarely in the back of the head. Pain is symmetrical.

• Drowsiness, chilliness, muscle weakness.

In some cases, vascular hypotension is combined with muscular hypotension, so patients may appear "deacidified". They experience weakness and malaise.

• Meteorological dependence appears.

Hypotonic patients react very easily to changes in the weather. Deterioration of health in them causes a decrease in atmospheric pressure. A typical example is the onset of a warm winter front with snowstorms, snowstorms, cloudy weather and an increase in air temperature. On the contrary, a cold snap and frost with a clear sky cause a revival in people suffering from low blood pressure.

• Perhaps the appearance of pallor of the skin, nausea, a tendency to dizziness. Patients with hypotension are often prone to motion sickness and cannot tolerate motion sickness at all.
• Jetlag. This is the name of the state of rapid jet lag. In patients with low blood pressure, it takes a long time to adapt when flying to the other side of the globe, and even within 3-4 hours, which differs from the time of residence;
• There is a decrease in tolerance to superstrong stimuli. This means that the patient with hypotension can hardly tolerate loud sound, bright light, as well as people with a very expressive and vivid expression of feelings, too mobile.

This arises again, from reduced adaptive reserves, which began to form a style of behavior. With hypotension, a reaction slows down, and with severe stress, a hypotensive person is more likely to freeze in place than to rush to run.

How can you "correct" hypotension, raise blood pressure?

Treatment of hypotension at home, drugs

Why is the problem of treating hypotension difficult? The fact is that in nature, energy does not arise from nowhere - any open system, without the supply of energy from the outside, seeks to lower its level to equilibrium with the environment. Therefore, it is much easier to lower the pressure than to increase it, because nature strives for absolute peace. In extreme cases, you can apply the old and time-tested method: bloodletting. As a result, the volume of blood will decrease, and the pressure will simply have nowhere to come from.

As for the treatment of hypotension, it is required to strengthen the work of the heart, and for a long time. And medicine has long known such drugs, but all of them either have many side effects, can accumulate in the body (like cardiac glycosides), or lead to addiction and severe fits of fatigue after the end of the intake (amphetamines).

Cardiologists either do not deal with the treatment of arterial hypotension, or are reluctant to do so. The fact is that with hypotension there is no such high risk of sudden death and the development of complications - heart attack and stroke, as with hypertension. Therefore, all medical forces are thrown into the fight against this "enemy". Unfortunate hypotension is often left to take measures on their own, therefore, hypotension is mainly treated at home.

How to do without drugs

First, let's name non-drug methods that will help you get what is so lacking in hypotension: vigor and activity.

• First of all, you need to sleep well. In the event that you have drowsiness during the day and poor sleep at night, then all attempts to awaken activity are doomed to failure.
• Be sure to perform a set of morning exercises. There should be no weights, but within 10 minutes you need to start at a slow pace, and gradually increase the speed and amplitude of the exercises (with your own body, ball, gymnastic stick). Ideally, after gymnastics, warmth spreads throughout the body, it is covered with light perspiration, and sleep recedes.
• Then hygiene procedures follow, which are well completed with a contrast shower: warm and cold water alternate. This allows you to do gymnastics for the vessels of the skin, to make them work. The effect of the shower should be enhanced by rubbing the body with a shaggy towel.
• Then you can start breakfast. It should not be heavy and high-calorie. A hypotonic who ate a portion of pork cutlets with scrambled eggs for breakfast runs the risk of falling back into a drowsy state. Therefore, an excellent option would be low-fat sweet cottage cheese with berries, and hot green or black tea with ginger. This will give warmth and cheerfulness.

A small cup of black coffee or coffee with cream is not forbidden. It is desirable that all procedures are performed personally - you need to grind coffee and brew it.

The only caveat is that in no case should you accompany your morning coffee with a cigarette.

In general, with hypotension, smoking is very harmful, since it disrupts the already poor vascular tone, and the short-term positive effect of cigarettes is explained by vascular spasm. Over time, cigarettes will not be able to help, just like alcohol, and will only increase the headache.

Medicines

What drugs can be prescribed for hypotension for treatment? You should not take drugs that increase blood pressure directly - this will not lead to anything good. Means such as pressor amines (norepinephrine, adrenaline), dopamine, mezaton are used in intensive care to maintain pressure and “pull” a person out of shock.

In the treatment of chronic hypotension, vitamins, mineral complexes and drugs called adaptogens are used. We list some of them:

• general strengthening herbal complex balms;
• tincture of ginseng;
• tincture of Rhodiola rosea (golden root);
• lemongrass.

In the event that these drugs are used in the morning, it is possible to achieve performance that will last most of the day. In addition, you can help the body by adding L-carnitine, succinic and folic acid, vitamin C to the diet.

A good help in the fight against hypotension will be active recreation methods that give a gradual, rather than "explosive" increase in load. Such ways include cycling (and especially cycling tourism) and swimming.

A little about the bath

Does a bath help with hypotension, or not? A good bathing procedure removes toxins from the body, makes the blood vessels of the skin work, and after a properly conducted bath, there must be a sound sleep. This is because the intensely steamed skin deposits blood, which drains from the internal organs and the brain.

This causes pleasant warmth, relaxation and drowsiness. Therefore, a correct, no-frills, evening bath is able to give a morning boost of vivacity, and allow hypotensive patients to joyfully meet a new day.

Forecast

We have looked at some of the causes and treatment of hypotension - it should be said in conclusion that hypotensive people are, in general, happy people. They fall out of the cohort of those patients who are at risk of a heart attack or stroke. No, this does not mean at all that neither the first nor the second will ever happen to them.

Remember, the biggest risk factor for stroke is older age and male gender. These factors cannot be modified. But everything related to additional, modifiable risk factors, hypotension is avoided.

As a rule, they do not have excess weight, their cholesterol is also close to normal, and therefore the risk of developing them is the same as that of a healthy person. It is available, but the risk is much lower. But when it comes to average life expectancy, there is no evidence that low blood pressure leads to a shorter life expectancy. In contrast, such data are available for hypertension.