Hypotension And Longterm Effects?

[mkoven]

Hi. I just saw my doc who was very concerned when I told him that my bp can easily drop to 80/50. He said that my organs won't be sufficiently perfused and I could have damage to kidneys, for example. It doesn't stay that low, but when I'm feeling bad, it can hover there for a bit. When I'm feeling okay, it's just low normal-- 110/65 or so...

Can hypotension really be so harmful?

[Guest tearose]

I have no question that lack of oxygen to the brain and vital organs and muscles would cause problems. How much can our bodies be compromised? I think it is different for each person since we each have a different body and set of health issues.

Don't you feel very poorly below 80/60? I know I don't function well that low. How are you managing? Do YOU think you function well that low?

tearose

[yogini]

The literature saysdthat most forms of dysautonomia, including the associated low BP, are not dangerous and do not shorten our lives or hurt us in any way, other than to make us really uncomfortable. You might hurt yourself fainting, but I don't think that the typical low BP associated with POTS would cause organ damange. 80/50 is not to far from my baseline BP of 90/60 - it always was that low even when I was a "healthy" person pre-POTS. Part of this probably depends upon the person, too.

[kmpower]

But I thought that the body compensated for low BP with the rapid heart rates. Less pressure, but more times, means the same blood gets to the organs. That is, unless medication or other factors moderate or stop the compensation.

OLL

[Aprilmarie52]

My grandmother is 83 and has POTs. She has a lot of health problems, but the drs dont think that any of it is related to low bp.

[cardiactec]

i have been told, working as a cardiac tech, that in order to maintain proper perfusion to vital organs, blood pressure must be 60 systolic or better....if BP hits below 60 systolic, organs are NOT being well perfused. so i guess i really dont see too much concern for adequate organ perfusion with a systolic pressure of 80.....but perhaps your doc knows something that i dont know. i'm just a tech!

[DADofPotsSon]

My Father has hypotension and has had it for life, he will be 79 in three weeks. He keeps good records and I ask him recently what his 2006 average BP reading was and he said 105/59, which is low for a person at 79. Other than the occasional dizziness it rarely causes him any trouble. My mother said she can only remember him passing out about a dozen times, and those were always getting out of bed or getting off the sofa all too fast. He even today gets out of a chair very slowly by sliding out to the edge and pumps his leg muscles a little then gets up, stands the for a second or two then walks fast. He always says "I get up slow but I can make up the time by walking fast". He is a very fast at walking, I am 53 and in very good shape and cannot keep up with him, he is like the battery commercial on TV, he keeps going and going and going. He keeps in good shape and is very active.

Both my sons have the same problem as Dad, hypotension, unfortunately son#2 age 20 has POTS, now that adds complications to hypotension. Dr. Grubb said "whew Son#2 is low one" his base line BP is 90/55. That is after salt, water toprol xl, and midodrine. We all hope Son#2 grows out of the POTS in a few years and can deal just with hypotension.

Dad?s siblings did not have hypotension but his older sister had MVP with tachycardia, she just passed away at 90. My daughter who is 28 has this same problem.

Hypotension is just a inconvenience but with NCS or POTS it?s a problem.

DASofPotsSon

[Sunfish]

i think there are a lot of factors at play. one person may be at a pressure of 80/50 if the body has adapted to it. one also won't likely have any long-term effects (in terms of organ damage/perfusion) with episodic drops to that number (as long as it doesn't include dangerous falls!) on the other hand another person may be uncomfortably symptomatic at 80/50; based on discussions i've had with docs though i still don't think it would cause organ damage if it's something that isn't too far off of that person's norm. that doesn't mean it might not be better for it to be a bit higher, but i doubt that permanant damage would happen. if someone's normal pressure was much higher though i could see that a drop to 80/50 could be more problematic b/c the body wouldn't have a chance to adapt.

at lower numbers though, especially if sustained, it becomes more concerning. the exact "magic number" for concern is likely not entirely agreed upon, but there is such thing as "too low". during my latest hospital stay numbers that were low-60s over 30s caused quite a stir and got me sent to ICU; i've had similar numbers episodically while upright (seated & or standing) and my ANS docs have acknowledged that it's simply par for the course (i go high & low with BP) but this was with me flat and for hours/days on end. so 60s/30s are not something i'd recommend.

not sure if i answered any part of your question, but at least some thoughts to add to the question at least?

melissa

[mkoven]

thanks to everybody for input here.

I am still trying to make due without meds-- just stockings, salt, and fluids, and am trying to see if I can feel okay.

My doc and I were speculating that these dips in bp are probably behind some strange neurological problems I've had-- transient one-sided weakness that looked like a tia, but where nothing showed up on brain mri, mra, ct scan, and reoslved.

and if i'm about to pass out, I get very itchy--previously diagnosed as anaphylaxis, but I think the itchiness was my body's reaction to bp drop, not bp drop as reaction to allergic reaction.

and when i get to 80/50, and sometimes lower, it's true that i don't feel so hot. but i don't think it's sustained--just dips.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Last year or so I walked into my doctor's office and had my bp taken and it was 80/50 and my doctor just asked me how I felt. At the time I was feeling pretty fine. He was not concerned as long as I did not feel light-headed. At the time I was also taking a bb. Without the bb, my bp is a little more normal.

Katherine

[lthomas521]

My grandfather was plagued by low blood pressure for his entire life--95 years. He stayed alert until the last month or so.

[Elegiamore]

When I was able to work, my office mates would warn ME I was about to keel over, because instead of itching, mkoven, I would turn white in the face. It was very helpful!

As for low BP, my neurologist told me that the problem was HUGE swings, not particularly high bp or low, that would do you in, as in a stroke or related event. As I went through a period of bp as high as 250/135 sitting and 70/who knows standing, I was not allowed to get up and down much. This is what lead to my severe deconditioning that is doing me in now.

So, I think the organ damage with low BP depends on the swings, IMHO.

Elegiamore