In Nigeria, focus seems to be more on hypertension, while little attention is paid to low blood pressure, MOTUNRAYO JOEL writes
Hypertension is often described as a silent killer. This, perhaps, explains why most people dread the medical condition in which blood pressure is too high. But unknown to many people, there is also hypotension, a medical condition in which blood pressure is too low.
Although hypertension is deadlier than hypotension, the latter is also a life-threatening medical condition.
A story was once told about Cynthia Johnson (not real names) on an online platform, voices.yahoo.com. Johnson was a vegetarian. She ate only vegetable-based foods thinking that such diet would sustain her, keep her body working normally and give her good health.
To complement her quest for good health, 31-year-old Johnson also jogged every morning. This cardiovascular exercise felt great at first, until she started experiencing symptoms that became somewhat alarming. One morning while jogging, she suddenly had to stop as her heart began palpitating excessively. She had no idea what was happening to her. She recalled that she was feeling dizzy and found it difficult to breathe as well. Her chest became tight; she could hardly focus.
Johnson said she became usually thirsty and felt a bucket-full of water would not be enough to quench her thirst. What baffled her was the sudden onset of these symptoms which came faster than the snap of a finger.
Her heart seemed to be skipping a few beats in its constant palpitation. Her vision became slightly blurred. She quickly lay on the ground. Though her blood circulation had reduced because of the sudden need to stop jogging, and even with her lying on the ground, the symptoms persisted.
Johnson said her muscles began to abnormally tighten, and thought that she might be going through some type of a seizure. “I felt weak and so disoriented,” she reportedly said.
On getting to the hospital through the help of a Good Samaritan, the doctor did a quick check-up and then broke the news to her: “You have low blood pressure.”
Apparently, Johnson hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning and her diet didn’t have any protein-based foods such as poultry, meats, nuts, fish, and so on.
Medical experts said it was essential to keep one’s metabolism functioning with varying nutritional ingredients. Protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits – among many other types of food – are all part of a well-nourished individual.
They often advised that too much of anything is not healthy, so is too little.
According to an online website, Medicinet.com, low blood pressure, also called hypotension, is blood pressure that is low enough that the flow of blood to the organs of the body is inadequate and symptoms and/or signs of low blood flow develop.
“Low pressure alone, without symptoms or signs, usually is not unhealthy. The symptoms of low blood pressure include light headedness, dizziness, and fainting. These symptoms are most prominent when individuals go from the lying or sitting position to the standing position (orthostatic hypotension). Low blood pressure that causes an inadequate flow of blood to the body’s organs can cause strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure. It’s most severe form is shock. Common causes of low blood pressure include a reduced volume of blood, heart disease, and medications. The cause of low blood pressure can be determined with blood tests, radiologic studies, and cardiac testing to look for arrhythmias.
“Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. It constitutes one of the critically important signs of life or vital signs which include heart beat, breathing and temperature. Blood pressure is generated by the heart pumping blood into the arteries modified by the response of the arteries to the flow of blood. An individual’s blood pressure is expressed as systolic/diastolic blood pressure, for example, 120/80.”
Explaining what systolic and diastolic blood pressure mean, the website states that systolic blood pressure, which is the top number, represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart contracts and pumps blood into them.
Shedding more light on hypotension, a General Practitioner, Dr. Olawoyin Imoisili, said the normal blood pressure for every adult should be 120/90.
She, however, stated that people who were naturally hypotensive would always have their blood pressure lower than the normal rate.
She said, “There are people who are naturally hypotensive, which means their blood pressure is usually at 90/60 throughout their lifetime. For them, this is normal. But the normal blood pressure for every adult should be 120, that is for systolic and diastolic should be at 90. Therefore, anything above 140/90 is considered hypertension.”
Imoisili noted that hypotension did occur on its own but could be triggered by some factors.
“Hypotension is not a condition that just happens, it must have been induced, for example, due to some drugs. When these drugs are taken, they lower your blood pressure. Hypotension can also occur when a hypertensive patient is placed on anti-hypertensive drugs.
“If the patient takes an overdose, his blood pressure may crash. The person then goes from hypertension to hypotension,” she added.
According to Imoisili, hypotension is not as rampant as hypertension. She, however, warned that if both were not properly managed, it could lead to death.
A medical practioner, Dr. Kayode Atoyebi, advised people suffering from prolonged diarrhoea or dehydration to be more conscious of their blood pressure.
He said, “One shouldn’t overlook the risk of low blood pressure if one coughs with phlegm (mucus), suffers from prolonged diarrhoea, is unable to eat or drink, experiences burning urinary symptoms or even if one is taking new medicines, because all these are low blood pressure symptoms.
“When one starts experiencing low blood pressure symptoms, it is vital to remember that the brain is the first organ to malfunction in such situations because it’s located at the top of the body. As a result, one will experience dizziness or even fainting. One should remember that if one doesn’t treat low blood pressure seriously it may lead to brain damage.”
He also identified common symptoms of low blood pressure to include breathlessness and chest tightness. These symptoms, he said, occur when blood is not adequately supplied to the heart muscles. “If an individual has prolonged low blood pressure, organs in him or her begin to malfunction which then leads to shock. In order to prevent this, certain precautionary measure should be taken, Atoyebi stated.
However, Atoyebi advised that any one suffering from low blood pressure should drink plenty of water.
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