hypotension

Examples of hypotension in the following topics:

• Extremes in Blood Pressure

  • Chronically elevated blood pressure is called hypertension, while chronically low blood pressure is called hypotension.
  • Blood pressures above this are classed as hypertension and those below are hypotension, both considered medical conditions.
  • Hypotension is a medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is reduced below 100/60 mmHg.
  • Hypotension is best understood as a physiological state rather than a disease and is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it.
  • For some people who exercise and are in top physical condition, hypotension is a sign of good health and fitness.

• Types of Shock

  • Septic shock is the most common cause of distributive shock and is caused by an overwhelming systemic infection that cannot be cleared by the immune system, resulting in vasodilation and hypotension.
  • Anaphylactic shock is caused by a severe reaction to an allergen, leading to the release of histamine that causes widespread vasodilation and hypotension.
  • Neurogenic shock arises due to damage to the central nervous system, which impairs cardiac function by reducing heart rate and loosening the blood vessel tone, resulting in severe hypotension.

• Measuring Blood Pressure

  • Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is indicated when the systolic number is persistently below 90 mmHg.

• Adrenal Gland Disorders

  • If not treated, adrenal insufficiency may result in severe abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, profound muscle weakness and fatigue, depression, extremely low blood pressure (hypotension), weight loss, kidney failure, changes in mood and personality, and shock (adrenal crisis).
  • Symptoms may also include weakness, tiredness, dizziness, low blood pressure that falls further when standing (orthostatic hypotension), cardiovascular collapse, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

• Pericarditis

  • Other physical signs include a patient in distress, positional chest pain, diaphoresis (excessive sweating), and possibility of heart failure in form of precardial tamponade causing pulsus paradoxus, and the Beck's triad of hypotension (due to decreased cardiac output), distant (muffled) heart sounds, and JVD (jugular vein distention).
  • This can be seen in patients who are experiencing the classic signs of pericarditis but then show signs of relief, and progress to show signs of cardiac tamponade which include decreased alertness and lethargy, pulsus paradoxus (decrease of at least 10 mmHg of the systolic blood pressure upon inspiration), hypotension (due to decreased cardiac index), JVD (jugular vein distention from right sided heart failure and fluid overload), distant heart sounds on auscultation, and equilibration of all the diastolic blood pressures on cardiac catheterization due to the constriction of the pericardium by the fluid.

• Syncope

  • Syncope, the medical term for fainting, is defined as a transient loss of consciousness and postural tone characterized by rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery due to global cerebral hypoperfusion that most often results from hypotension.

• Cardiac Cycle

  • Pressures higher than that range may indicate hypertension, while lower pressures may indicate hypotension.

• Typing and Cross-Matching for Transfusions

  • This can cause shock-like symptoms, such as fever, hypotension, and disseminated intravascular coagulation from immune system mediated endothelial damage.

• Homeostatic Responses to Shock

  • As a result, the baroreceptors in the arteries detect the hypotension and initiate the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine to increase heart rate and blood pressure.

• Disorders of Acid-Base Balance

  • Cardiac complications include arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia), decreased response to epinephrine; both lead to hypotension (low blood pressure).