The pressure of the blood against the arteriolar walls while the heart is pumping is called blood pressure. Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is when this pressure is below normal.

Blood pressure between the range of 90/60 mmHg to 120/80 mmHg is considered normal for adults. Lower than this is considered hypotension.  In the measurement, the upper reading is the systolic blood pressure, and the lower reading is the diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure, or a systole occurs when the heart is beating while pumping out blood. Diastolic blood pressure, or diastole is the resting state of the heart between beats.

Hypotension can be caused by medical states such as pregnancy, heart problems, endocrine problems or dehydration. It can also occur when an individual is taking medications such as Diuretics, Alpha blockers, Beta blockers, medicine for Parkinson's disease, antidepressants and Viagra. Hypotension causes dizziness, fainting, concentration deficiency, blurred vision, nausea, hyperventilation, fatigue, thirst, depression, and in extreme cases, even shock. The last is caused mainly when hypotension occurs due to blood loss, septicemia, anaphylaxis or nutrient deficiency in diet.

Often a person can have low blood pressure without any of the symptoms of hypotension. This is then considered the normal blood pressure for that person, since it varies. However hypotension with symptoms requires medical advice for caution.

How can autonomic failure lead to Low Blood Pressure?

The autonomic nervous system is a part of the central nervous system that controls all the involuntary actions vital for proper functioning off the body. It reacts to changes in the surroundings and helps people adjust to them. 

ANS maintain the size of blood vessels and the blood pressure, the contracting and relaxing actions of heart muscles, the proper functioning of the digestive system, insulin secretion, urinary system, the flow of air into lungs, and sexual functions. Malfunction of this ANS can be called autonomic failure. Autonomic failure has only one symptom, which is a visible lowering of blood pressure. A drop in blood pressure, called orthostatic hypotension, can occur when one stands up or has been standing for a long time. This is caused when the blood pools that form in the lower parts of a person’s body as he stands up, cannot be corrected by the ANS. This is thus a symptom of autonomic failure. In normal cases the ANS signals the heart to pump more blood to compensate.  Postprandial hypotension takes action within an hour of taking a meal.

Autonomic failure can often be caused by diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and strokes, thus symptoms such as dizziness should be treated with caution and not passed off as trivial.

How can High Blood Pressure Affect the Kidneys?

High blood pressure is a medical condition in which the average blood pressure level in the body is raised. High blood pressure can have many harmful effects upon the body and can occasionally be fatal as well. In addition to that, high blood pressure also passively affects other organs in the body.

High blood pressure can result in kidney failure mostly because it can damage the arteries entering the kidneys and the ones inside of them. Because of this the kidney cannot get rid of the wastes in the blood properly and this will lead to dangerously high levels of waste and fluid accumulating.

Another condition that can occur in the kidneys due to high blood pressure is termed as kidney artery aneurysm. This is a swelling in the wall of a blood vessel in the arteries leading into the kidney. What must be noted is that aneurysms can be harmful as they can rupture and cause internal bleeding to extents which can be life-threatening. 

Failure of the kidney can lead to fatal consequences so one must be aware of the causes so as to take the correct medical treatment.

Our Partners

• Cosmetic Dentist Scotland