Low blood pressure in an elderly person: treatment and prevention

Blood pressure is a physiological indicator that determines the force of blood pressure on the vascular walls. Normal blood pressure levels vary depending on gender, age and individual characteristics of a person. However, pressure values are 80 to 50 mm Hg. are considered a deviation from the norm and indicate low blood pressure.

Why is low blood pressure in an elderly person no less dangerous than high blood pressure?

Both conditions are dangerous - hypotension and hypertension. Doctors cannot give a definite answer as to whether high blood pressure or low blood pressure is worse. For a long time, there was an opinion that only high blood pressure is dangerous, since it puts a serious strain on the heart and this negatively affects its functioning. That is why older people with hypertension are often diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, and they often suffer from strokes, heart attacks and other complications.

However, very low blood pressure in an elderly person is no less dangerous - with a lack of oxygen, the brain, heart, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract cannot function normally. The result is the gradual death of organ cells.

Complications of hypotension include:

Injuries sustained by older people during fainting conditions. They are often very strong.
Ischemic stroke. It becomes a consequence of chronic lack of blood supply.
Cardiogenic shock, myocardial infarction. Occurs when there is insufficient blood supply to the heart.
Senile dementia (dementia). Develops as a result of a disturbance in the thought process due to frequent changes in blood pressure.
Loss of sensation in limbs in older people. It becomes a consequence of disruptions occurring in the venous and arterial blood supply.

Hypotension that lasts for a long time can cause severe arterial hypertension.

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Symptoms and signs

If hypotension is stable and manifests itself from early childhood, it does not affect a person’s health and well-being. If surges occur periodically, the symptoms will be severe:

the pulse becomes more frequent, tachycardia occurs;
sweating increases;
nausea and vomiting are observed;
even with minor physical exertion, shortness of breath appears;
the person constantly feels sleepy;
there is numbness in the arms and legs;
there is a feeling of lack of air and chills.

If the state of hypotension is observed for a long time, the patient may complain of decreased performance, lethargy, apathy, decreased libido, increased sensitivity to changes in weather conditions and frequent freezing of the extremities.

Causes of low blood pressure in older people

Low blood pressure in older people can be either a primary, underlying disease or a symptomatic consequence of other diseases. Primary hypotension is called when this condition is not accompanied by other diseases. Otherwise, we are talking about symptomatic hypotension.

Many people are interested in why low blood pressure occurs in an elderly person, what is the cause of this condition. It is difficult to figure out what to do when diastolic pressure is low. The causes in older people directly depend on the type of hypotension. The acute form is a consequence of heart attacks, blood loss, intracardiac blockade, severe arrhythmia, and an allergic reaction. In case of acute hypotension, it is important to provide first aid to the person in a timely manner.

Primary hypotension is an independent disease manifested in the form of neurocirculatory asthenia.

Physiological hypotension is a hereditary disease; in other words, it is the body’s predisposition to low blood pressure. An elderly person is already accustomed to this condition, and since the readings are not much lower than normal, they are practically the norm for low blood pressure in older people.

The main reason for low blood pressure in an elderly person is prolonged psycho-emotional stress, which gives rise to neurosis of the vasomotor centers of the brain. Severe stress, in which a person is under for a long time, causes a drop in pressure, and, as a result, primary hypotension. It is also possible that this disease may develop due to an overdose of medications for hypertension. Another cause of hypotension is a lack of vitamins B5, C, E.

Causes of primary hypotension:

frequent neuroses;
psychotrauma;
chronic lack of sleep and fatigue;
depressive states of a person and apathy towards everything.

Causes of symptomatic hypotension:

stomach ulcer;
arrhythmia;
rheumatism;
anemia;
cervical osteochondrosis;
problems with blood circulation;
heart failure;
hepatitis, etc.

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Critical low blood pressure in an elderly person: first aid

Low diastolic pressure in older people is a dangerous condition, so the first thing to do is call an ambulance. While waiting for medical workers, if the patient has already lost consciousness or it seems that this may happen to him, it is necessary to provide assistance independently, in particular:

put the elderly person on his back;
open a window to provide access to fresh air;
unbutton the shirt collar to free the chest area and neck from clothing;
if the person is conscious, give him drops for hypotension;
do a rubbing massage in the direction from the ankles up.

Medicine that is recommended for low blood pressure in older people is not always at hand, so you can use improvised means - give the person strong coffee, give 2 tablets of caffeine-containing citramon. But you should definitely check whether the patient with low blood pressure has heart disease and whether he can use blood thinning medications.

You can help a person in such a situation and slightly increase blood pressure by using acupuncture. Find a point under your nose, press it with your finger, hold for a minute, release and repeat similar manipulations 5 to 10 times. Another way is to raise a person’s legs above his head, for example, by throwing them over the headboard of a bed or sofa, placing high pillows under his feet, etc. All this can be done while waiting for the doctors to arrive. Doing this will help prevent loss of consciousness due to low blood pressure and potential injuries from falling.

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Is this condition dangerous?

If your blood pressure has dropped sharply to pathological levels, there is reason to seriously think about it. Is it dangerous? An isolated case does not pose a serious threat to human health. But if signs of hypotension are observed regularly and are accompanied by a significant deterioration in health, fainting, nausea and vomiting, it is not recommended to delay a visit to the doctor.

Fluctuations in blood pressure cause a decrease in the elasticity of blood vessels, which ultimately leads to the formation of hypertension. Hypotension in most cases is accompanied by impaired blood circulation and brain activity, leading to exhaustion and malfunction of internal organs.

As a secondary symptom, low blood pressure can signal dangerous conditions such as anaphylactic shock or internal bleeding.

How to increase low blood pressure in an elderly person at home

If your blood pressure suddenly drops, but the readings are not critical, do not panic. We will tell you how to increase low blood pressure in an elderly person at home.

One of the simplest and most widely known ways to increase blood pressure is to drink strong coffee. Caffeine helps dilate blood vessels and helps give the body a boost of energy. The drink helps especially well those older people who drink it rarely, about once a week. For those who drink coffee every day, it will be more difficult, because... It will not be possible to obtain the desired effect with low blood pressure if the body is already accustomed to caffeine.
Strong sweet tea will help raise blood pressure and tone the body.
Regular salt will come to the rescue. By eating something salty or even just putting a little salt on the tongue, an elderly person can alleviate his condition.
Honey combined with cinnamon is considered one of the fastest ways to increase low blood pressure, and the effect remains for a long period. Take half a teaspoon of cinnamon and dissolve it in a glass of boiling water, add one spoon of honey. Wait half an hour for the drink to infuse, after which you can drink it. Or you can make it simpler: spread honey on a piece of bread, sprinkle cinnamon on top and eat this sandwich.
You can eat something fatty, of course, it is better not to eat fatty foods too often, but if there is no other way to cope with a sharp drop in blood pressure, then you can use this one.
Consuming glucose or refined sugar will also help raise your blood pressure. Glucose is sold in pharmacies in tablets.
Cognac or red wine, but it is important to know the limit - no more than 50 grams per day. Usually cognac is added to coffee or tea.

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Equipment

Along with the K 80-50-200 pump, the kit includes:

electric motor;
coupling;
base slab made of profile or foundation;
instructions;
technical certificate.

A set of spare parts for the unit must be ordered separately.

Characteristics of the pump K 80-50-200

Traditional medications for hypotension

We have already figured out what low blood pressure means in an elderly person. This is a serious illness, and it is often impossible to cope with it using only home methods, because... the use of special medications that normalize blood pressure is required. Caffeine remains the most popular remedy for hypotension.

But besides it, other groups of drugs are also used:

Psychomotor stimulants.

They help an elderly person cope with weakness and chronic fatigue syndrome. Thanks to stimulants, the hypotensive person becomes functional, lethargy and drowsiness disappear, and the normal state is normalized. The most popular drugs from this medicinal group: Sydnofen, Mesocarb, Sydnocarb, etc.

Analeptic drugs

Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs. After using them, older people with low blood pressure begin to feel better, their overall tone and mood improve. This group includes the following drugs: Cordiamine, Centedrin and similar ones.

Adrenomimetic drugs

These drugs are necessary to increase both diastolic and systolic pressure, so their use is justified only in very difficult cases. They are designed to ensure normal blood circulation. These are Regulton, Gutron, Fethanol, etc.

Nootropics

This group of products is intended to optimize metabolic processes in the central nervous system and normalize blood circulation. Thanks to taking such medications, an elderly person’s memory improves and the learning process is facilitated. Phenibut, Pantogam, Piracetam, Aminalon, etc. are considered effective nootropic drugs.

We must not forget about the need to take complex vitamin preparations, especially if we are talking about an exacerbation of the disease.

If drug treatment for low blood pressure in older people is carried out at home, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the dosage prescribed by the doctor. If your condition worsens after taking medications, then immediately contact a specialist to adjust treatment taking into account the characteristics of the course of the disease in each individual case.

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What does a tonometer level of 80/50 mean?

Such blood pressure numbers indicate problems in the body. But not always.

Physiological factors also occur, but their share in the total number of clinically significant situations is quite small, about 30%.

Diseases are much more common, the remaining 70% are problems with the heart, blood vessels, hormonal levels and nervous system, less often the kidneys and excretory tract.

Hypotension does not always carry the same danger. Patients with a chronic increase in blood pressure, as well as people whose normal working pressure is above 130 to 80, experience much greater discomfort, and such a tonometer reading for them is determined by a significant threat.

For your information: the likelihood of complications in patients with hypertension when blood pressure decreases is almost three times higher.

Traditional methods of dealing with low blood pressure

There are many traditional ways to combat low blood pressure, but we must not forget that different people may react to them differently.

Immortelle decoction

To prepare it, take a tablespoon of immortelle flowers, pour boiling water (250 ml) and keep in a water bath for 15 minutes. After this, you can strain the broth and take it. This amount of ingredients is calculated for the daily dose. The effect can be obtained if you drink the decoction three times a day - 1/3 cup before each meal.

St. John's wort decoction

It is advisable to consult a specialist before taking St. John's wort decoction for low blood pressure. The recommended daily dose of the decoction is no more than 250 ml, and it must be adhered to. The course of treatment is no more than a month; a decoction is prepared by analogy with immortelle decoction.

Infusion of calamus, burdock, chicory

This infusion is prepared from the roots of burdock, chicory and calamus. 100 grams of each ingredient are crushed and mixed, poured into a liter jar, which is then filled with water to the brim. The jar should be placed in a dark place for 10 days. After the specified period, take the infusion 5 drops, dissolving them in a tablespoon of water. The infusion is drunk three times a day for three weeks.

Grape or pomegranate juice

Grape or pomegranate juice can do an excellent job of increasing blood pressure. Of course, the best effect will come from fresh; store-bought will not work, since it is canned. Buy dark grapes, squeeze the juice out of them, preferably before eating. Dosage – half a glass twice a day, course of administration – two weeks. Pomegranate juice will help cope with dizziness and headaches.

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Clinical picture

The pathology is characterized by symptoms of impaired cerebral hemodynamics and hypoxia of other organs:

weakness, fatigue, apathy, drowsiness;
weather sensitivity;
absent-mindedness, memory impairment;
emotional lability, irritability;
shortness of breath on exertion;
tachycardia;
dizziness, syncope (fainting);
headache (usually in the frontal and temporal parts);
pale skin, hyperhidrosis (sweating).

Prevention of hypotension in the elderly

To prevent the development of hypotension and related diseases, older people should follow a number of recommendations:

Try not to overwork and avoid stress.
Drink 1.5 to 2 liters of liquid per day.
Be active and mobile.
Take frequent walks in the fresh air.
Eat more herbs, spices and salt.
Do general strengthening exercises.
Limit hot baths, replacing them with contrast showers.
Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in food to prevent surges in blood pressure and blood sugar.