Causes Of Low Blood Pressure




The causes of low blood pressure are of several different classes. However it is important to note that…

Low Blood Pressure Is Not Always A Problem


Athletes and people who exercise regularly tend to have lower blood pressure than other people. It is also the case for many people who eat well and maintain a healthy weight.

Low blood pressure may be a sign of health. Healthy people, especially athletes, often have more efficient hearts and cardiovascular systems than other people. Their hearts beat slower and with more force. And their blood vessels are not constricted or clogged by atherosclerosis.

But low blood pressure can also result from other causes. In many cases the condition is temporary and of little consequence. However, in some cases the results can be quite serious.

Let’s consider briefly three categories of the most common causes of low blood pressure:


Medications As Causes Of Low Blood Pressure


There are also a number of medications that can result in lower blood pressure. For example, medications like…
  • Beta blockers (drugs that relieve stress to the heart)
  • Calcium channel blockers (drugs that block calcium from entering heart and arteries)
  • Digoxin (Plant extract that strengthens heart muscle contractions)
… can slow the heart rate and therefore lower blood pressure.

Obviously any drug that is used to treat high blood pressure can worsen hypotension. Medications such as…
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Angiotensin receptor blockers
  • Alpha-blockers
… should not be used by anyone with chronically low blood pressure.

It may seem a bit redundant to mention blood pressure lowering medications among the causes of low blood pressure. However, some drugs for high blood pressure are used to treat other heart conditions as well. So your doctor may prescribe a drug to treat one heart condition that also lowers blood pressure.

Read more about blood pressure lowering medications.



Medications for…
  • Depression
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Erectile dysfunction
… can lower blood pressure when taken in conjunction with other medications such as nitroglycerine.


Heart Health Causes Of Low Blood Pressure
Some heart and cardiovascular conditions can lower blood pressure. Some of these are…

Heart Arrhythmia:

An abnormal heart rate can lead to low blood pressure. When the heart beats at an irregular rate it loses efficiency and is unable to pump enough blood to supply the body. A massive arrhythmia known as sudden cardiac death is an event in which the normal beating of the heart suddenly stops resulting in death quickly if the patient does not receive immediate attention.

Heart Attack

A myocardial infarction involves irreversible damage to the heart muscle making it weak and unable to pump effectively. This weakened condition will often result in low blood pressure. A heart attack is most often the result of untreated advanced coronary heart disease.

Pulmonary Embolism

This condition results from a blood clot breaking free and traveling to the heart and eventually the lung. If the clot is large enough it could diminish the heart’s ability to pump blood resulting in reduced blood pressure.

Bradycardia

A slower than normal heart rate sometimes results in insufficient blood flow. Many people (especially athletes) with slow heart rates do not have significantly lower blood pressure. The athletic heart beats slower but more strongly delivering adequate amounts of blood. However, there are those with an abnormally slow heart rate resulting in significantly lower blood pressure.





Tachycardia

An abnormally rapid heart rate can also result in low blood pressure. Atrial fibrillation is a case in point. With atrial fibrillation the heart beats rapidly and inconsistently due to an irregular electrical signal. The rapidly beating heart does not fill completely with blood between beats resulting in insufficient blood flow and lower pressure.

Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart can not adequately pump blood to the rest of the body and often results in insufficient blood pressure. Heart failure is frequently the result of advanced coronary heart disease and is very often associated with low CoQ10 levels.

Heart Health Note:

Congestive heart failure is often the result of advanced coronary heart disease, the #1 killer of men and women in the US and other developed countries.

But research has shown that heart failure is often associated with low levels of CoQ10. In such cases COQ10 supplementation helps reverse the effects of congestive heart failure.

Click Here To Read More About CoQ10 and Heart Failure.




Miscellaneous Causes Of Low Blood Pressure


Pregnancy

Pregnancy can cause low blood pressure especially in the first 24 weeks. During pregnancy a woman’s circulatory system expands rapidly increasing blood flow demands. It is not uncommon for systolic pressure to drop 5 to 10 points and diastolic pressure to drop 10 to 15 points.

Dehydration

Lack of water can also lead to hypotension. Dehydration can result from a number of causes including…
  • Strenuous exercise
  • Fever
  • Vomiting
  • Severe diarrhea
  • Overuse of diuretics
In some cases severe dehydration can cause a condition called hypovolemic shock. It is a life-threatening situation brought on by a sudden drop in blood pressure in which body tissues do not receive enough oxygen.

Blood Loss

Obviously significant blood loss as in the case of serious injury can lead to a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Certain nutritional deficiencies can lead to low blood pressure. Vitamin B-12 and folate deficiencies can cause anemia. Anemia often leads to low blood pressure.


Low Blood Pressure

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