Low blood pressure in older people over 60

Video: Low blood pressure in older people over 60

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Low blood pressure in the elderly is a rather rare pathology, which at the age of 60 years can be caused by upcoming changes in the state of internal organs or an individual characteristic of the body. Experts will tell you what to do.

Causes and reasons for the development of the condition

The concept of "blood pressure" is very conditional, in some people hypotension (low blood pressure) is an individual feature and does not cause any inconvenience.

But hypertension (high blood pressure) in the elderly is considered a more characteristic condition, because it is associated with age-related disorders in the vessels.

The load of atmospheric pressure, easily compensated by the body at a young age, becomes extreme after 60 years and necessitates constant monitoring. Any value that is below the lower limit of the norm is considered reduced - from 80 units of the systolic indicator and 60 - of the diastolic one.

As a result, the answer to the question "what to do" depends on the etiology of the fall in blood pressure, which can sometimes be easily determined. For example, if a person has such a phenomenon throughout his life (chronic hypotension), he already has an excellent command of control methods and feels comfortable taking some usual measures: diet, restrictions on drinking, physical activity.

Arterial hypotension is a diagnosis made when more than 20% of indicators fall, which are considered a conditional norm. If this phenomenon is observed regularly, we are talking about chronic arterial hypotension (hypotension).

ICD-10 classifies it as diseases of the circulatory system of a different and unspecified nature. The reasons for low blood pressure in older people are not always determined reliably, therefore, conditions are divided into several types:

Essential, or idiopathic, at the age of 60 or even earlier, is more common in women and is probably associated with frequent changes in hormonal levels. The term "idiopathic" does not mean that the pathological phenomenon has no reasons, just the current level of development of medicine does not yet allow them to be determined reliably.
Medication - usually triggered by the intake of drugs of a fairly wide spectrum: calcium blockers, diuretics, beta-blockers and nitrates. All medicines are clinically tested and have precise dosages. However, some patients practice uncontrolled, excessive or periodic intake, which leads to the development of a pathological condition.
Low blood pressure can be congenital, adaptive (in people living in certain climatic conditions), the result of long and hard training, but this is a physiological condition that does not require special interventions and is not expressed in special symptoms. Deciding what to do must be strictly taking into account the situation and the diagnosis.
Hypotension is considered pathological, which was the result of the course of other diseases - heart pathologies, diseases of the blood or organs involved in hematopoiesis, lesions of the brain and respiratory system, severe intoxication. Diseases of the endocrine glands play an important role in the etiology, hence the assumption of the development of hypotension against the background of pathological changes in the hormonal background.

In the elderly, secondary hypotension caused by chronic or systemic diseases, age-related degradation of organs and systems is more common. The successful resolution of the problem, first of all, is determined by the identification and elimination of provoking factors.

Sometimes hypotension is a natural consequence of trauma, iatrogenic interventions, and large blood loss. A pathological phenomenon can develop in the case of prolonged adherence to bed rest.

Necessary preventive and curative measures

When a person is over 60 years old, it is necessary to strengthen control over his health. If he complains of numbness in the limbs, hyperhidrosis, nausea and dizziness, constantly falls asleep throughout the day, blood pressure should be monitored. For this, there are blood pressure monitors and special bracelets.

Pronounced signs, visible to the naked eye, are constant weakness, lethargy and drowsiness, increased irritability and anxiety. At the initial stage of development of hypotension, it is imperative to find out its etiology.

Unexpressed idiopathic hypotension is easily regulated by proper nutrition, harmless medications with caffeine, drinking tea, coffee, hot drinks at the usual time, physiotherapy exercises and elimination of hypodynamia.

If low blood pressure is a symptom of a chronic or systemic disease, the cause should be treated first. As soon as the disease passes to a lower stage or is cured, the low blood pressure as a symptom will be eliminated.

Drug-induced hypotension can only be treated by a doctor. He cancels some drugs and prescribes others with a similar effect, but with less noticeable side effects.

Age-related degradation is arrested:

adrenergic agonists - they prevent stagnation in the bloodstream, increase blood pressure;
adaptogens of plant origin - all known ginseng, lemongrass and eleutherococcus;
nootropics aimed at stimulating the work of the brain, increasing memory and concentration lost with age;
folk remedies - tinctures and decoctions of medicinal herbs, natural stimulants.

The question of what to do at low pressure is decided according to the situation - it is necessary to take into account the etiology of the pathological process, the stage of development of the provoking disease, the age and individual characteristics of the organism. Without a specialist, the resolution of the problem may be incorrect, lead to the development of severe consequences, the transition of hypotension to arterial hypertension.

Summarize

Any pathology is treated only after a thorough diagnosis and elimination of the main provocateur.
Low blood pressure is a consequence of the influence of various reasons, from natural factors to chronic diseases.
It can sometimes be controlled naturally - with diet, beverages, physical activity.
With drug hypotension, decision-making is only in the competence of a specialist.
Age-related changes can be stopped by folk methods and medicines.