Heart disease:Ī healthy heart is capable of offsetting any drop in blood pressure by pumping an additional amount once it receives a signal from the brain. It returns to normal soon after delivery, but may require medical attention if it causes more severe symptoms. There are several medical reasons that lead to low blood pressure including: Pregnancy:įluctuations in blood pressure is not abnormal during pregnancies since the body's circulatory system undergoes expansion and there are changes to the production of certain hormones, and low blood pressure is common at this time. Even as the signs of low blood pressure are not always obvious, many otherwise healthy people can have hypotension because of this. It is the pressure generated as the heart contracts and expands while purifying the blood and exchanging the gases it carries.Ī network of blood vessels carries the blood to and from the heart to the rest of the body, and if the volume of blood being pumped becomes low due to certain reasons, it causes hypotension resulting in a lack of adequate oxygen and nutrition. Ordinarily, the heart would pump more blood to maintain the blood pressure, but in people with symptoms of low blood pressure, this does not happen, and instead, they experience fatigue and dizziness.īlood pressure is one of the vital signs that are calculated to determine individual health, along with pulse rate, rate of respiration, and body temperature. 'Prandial' refers to the consumption of food, and sometimes eating a large meal can cause low blood pressure since the blood flow to the digestive system increases at this time, causing blood vessels to be dilated.

This is also known as neurally mediated hypotension or vaso-vagal syncope. Loss of consciousness, concussion and otherwise fainting due to an acute drop in blood pressure can occur due to the brain and the heart not receiving the correct signals from the nervous system, causing blood vessels to become incapable of dilating or constricting to maintain blood pressure. Usage of certain drugs, both prescription and recreational, as well as an underlying medical condition such as heart or liver disease cause the heart and the endocrine system to be affected and thus unable to immediately compensate for the downward movement of the blood when standing up. If a person who is lying or sitting down stands up and the heart is unable to adjust the flow of blood to suit the posture, it can result in a lack of adequate blood supply to the brain causing symptoms of low blood pressure such as dizziness or even loss of consciousness. This kind of drop in blood pressure is also termed orthostatic hypotension and is diagnosed if there is an abnormal lowering of blood pressure when standing up suddenly. Hypotension is classified into a few major types, and these may entail different low blood pressure treatments by doctors.

Low blood pressure chart for seniors