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Five Probable Causes of Low Blood Pressure in Seniors

All the attention goes to hypertension because it's linked to stroke, heart attack and a number of other conditions. Many seniors have to watch out for high blood pressure. Sometimes though, hypotension aka low blood pressure is more of a threat. High blood pressure happens when the blood vessels narrow too much, making the heart to have to pump hard to get blood flowing throughout the body. Hypotension is just the opposite. The blood flow is slow because the blood vessels are not wielding enough resistance, causing some parts of the body to develop a lack of oxygen and nutrients. In the long run, low blood pressure in seniors can cause serious problems.

The yardstick for normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg; that means technically anything below that reading could be considered low blood pressure. In actuality, many healthy seniors have a normal blood pressure reading below 120/80 mm Hg. There is no cause for concern as long as no unusual symptoms present themselves.

With low blood pressure symptoms, seniors might feel lightheadedness, dizziness and even fainting spells. These symptoms mean that the brain is not receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients. The same theory applies when the kidneys or heart do not collect nutrients and oxygen. Seniors could experience angina or a heart attack. Plus, the kidneys could halt the filtering of waste from the blood.

So what are the causes of hypotension anyway? A litany of problems exists that could contribute to low blood pressure in seniors. However, unless a senior has some obscure disease, chances are they will have one of these five probable causes of hypotension:

1. Dehydration is likely when a senior loses a huge amount of water in their blood either through sweating, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or even heat stroke. The loss of electrolytes is also a problem.. That is why seniors who are dehydrated should drink a sports drink; these help bring the electrolytes and salt levels to within normal range. Lingering dehydration and hypotension can lead to acidosis, shock, kidney failure and even orthostatic hypotension, which is what happens when the blood pools in the lower half of the body, causing dizziness, fainting or lightheadedness when a senior gets up from a prone position.

2. An allergic reaction or even a simple infection can also cause hypotension. However, a senior's health condition would have to be pretty severe in order for this to happen.

3. Excessive or prolonged bleeding can cause low blood pressure. Aneurysms, ulcers, tumors, the shock of losing blood or even accident trauma can cause hypotension.

4. Many prescriptions that seniors take also cause low blood pressure. Erectile dysfunction medications and even anti-depressants contribute to the cause. A senior with high blood pressure has been known to develop hypotension. Usually it is due to the wrong hypertension prescription or even taking a high blood pressure drug in the wrong part of the day or at the wrong dosage.

5. Various forms of heart disease have been known to cause hypotension. Genetic factors play a part in forming low blood pressure as well as an infection in the sac around the heart. Hypotension in seniors also can involve the aorta

Your doctor should be consulted before trying any treatment plan for low blood pressure. The causes should be pinpointed first so that the right solution can be found.