Blood Pressure

[Timbo]

I have a question for you guys. When you came down with POTS, did your normal blood pressure drop and stay there, minus any fluxuations?

I was 120/80 before POTS, now I am 105/70 normally.

[BuddyLeesWife]

Not an answer to your question but an interesting article on seasonal variations in blood pressure. Looks like we need to move further North to keep my husband's BP up where needed.

Seasonal Variations in Blood Pressure

Posted 10/29/2004

Talma Rosenthal, MD

Abstract and Introduction

Abstract

The influence of temperature changes on risk factors like hypertension is often disregarded despite extensive literature on the phenomenon. Numerous surveys and studies have documented the correlation between temperature and blood pressure in various countries among adults, the elderly, and children. Twenty-four-hour blood pressure studies also generally show higher blood pressure in the winter. The suggested etiology is that cold increases sympathetic tone, evidenced by elevated blood pressure and plasma and urinary noradrenaline concentrations. The lower blood pressure in warm temperatures is attributed to cutaneous vasodilatation and loss of water and salt from sweating. Taking seasonal variations in blood pressure into account will increase the meaningful information collected in population surveys and mass screenings. It will also result in more personalized management of antihypertensive medications tailored to the individual.

For the rest of the article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/489515_1

[Gena]

Hi Timbo,

I was always 110/70 or 100/65. Since having POTS symptoms, my BP during the day hovers in the 90s/50s, unless I'm exercising or feeling tachy, which raises it back up, but only briefly (I never get above 120/80 even with tachycardia). At my worst, my BP gets low eighties over forties. Since having POTs, I can't seem to get it back up to my usual normal range though, no matter what.

[Timbo]

I was 120/80 then when POTS came along I rarely break 110/75. I am wondering if chronic low blood pressure is part of POTS or are they just referring to orthostatic hypotension.

[MomtoGiuliana]

When my POTS was severe, my blood pressure was elevated, generally (except during pregnancy when it was where it normally has been--110/70 or so). Since then, I still have episodes of elevated blood pressure, but that seems to be getting more and more transient. (When I have taken a low dose beta blocker, of course, over the past almost 2 years, that knocks it down to the 90/60 range or lower.)

[briarrose]

My Blood pressure use to run 120/60, heart rate 56. After POTS my lowest documented hr was 60/40, I typically run between 90/60 - 100/60 but have many variations of that, 80/40 to 120/100 etc.

I almost always know when my pressure is falling because I feel dizzy or light headed, sometimes off balance. There has been one occassion where I couldn't get off the floor because I was so low and I went immediately to my doctor's office where they gave me 2 liters of fluid to help bring my pressure back up, I still felt like crap for additional couple of days. But when I don't get fluid and my pressure is low, I can feel like crap for weeks at a time.

When I first was diagnosed with POTS they were talking about doing an ablation and I vetoed it because I read that often you get low blood pressure as a result. I wonder what would happen since it's already so low, not that I'm thinking about having it done.

One more thing and this is one of those weird POTsy things. Have any of you noticed that your pressure can change drastically by doing nothing. I can just be sitting here and start to feel light headed and I'll take my pressure, it will be low and then a few minutes later it returns to a more normal rate. It's the strangest darn thing. Before my pressure would stay the same for hours but now I have wild swings for no reason.

[Guest GayleP]

I don't have POTS but I do have dysautonomia.

My BP always ran a little low but now it's all over the place. More low than high but it can go from one extreme to the other in a short amount of time. And my low BP is lower than it was before I got sick.

I remember once at the neurolgist my BP was 90/60 then 130/90 within a few minutes. There were 2 nurses in the room fighting about who took the correct reading. I had to assure them that both readings were correct and that my BP was messed up.

GayleP

[blackwolf]

I was a constant 124/76 every time I went in, now I'm lucky to be 90/54. I have had on two recient occasions had 134/88 ( I can't remember the other) which were way up for me, but I was really stressed out over out of control pain both times.

Blackwolf

[Timbo]

It seems that many of us have had a permanent change in our blood pressure. I was curious if I was the only one. I have the fluxuations like you guys do. Some days I am 95/60 and others I can be 115/80 but my baseline is around 105/70.

Thanks for the info guys!

[opus88]

I'm generally low to mid 90s over mid 60s. I was very surprised when I took my BP a few days ago and it was 107 over 84, but I was feeling "adrenally" and had been on my feet for about 3 hours. Later, after sitting for a while, it was back to my normal low readings again.

POTS itself is not a major problem for me, although I believe it was for a couple of years - I didn't have a BP cuff then. My dysautonomia trouble runs more along the mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS) lines than POTS, but that's really kinda like splitting hairs, isn't it? "A rose by any other name . . . "