How to treat low blood pressure?

Written by Zhang Yue Mei

Cardiology

Updated on September 07, 2024

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How to treat low blood pressure depends on the extent of the decrease in blood pressure and the causes of low blood pressure. If the blood pressure is not too low and there are no obvious clinical symptoms, generally, there is no need for pharmacological treatment. What is needed is lifestyle adjustments, consuming high-nutrient foods, proper exercise, increasing the vitality of the heart and the elasticity of the blood vessels, and drinking more broth. If it is caused by severe illness leading to shock, immediate effective medication treatment and rescue are required, starting with the replenishment of blood volume, improving microcirculation, and using vasopressors to raise the blood pressure to a safe range, to ensure the blood supply to the heart, brain, and kidneys. (Note: Doctor’s answers are for reference only. Please follow the guidance of a professional physician for medication use, and do not self-medicate blindly.)

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei

Cardiology

52sec

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Rescue of hypotensive shock

Low blood pressure is an important clinical symptom and diagnostic indicator of shock. Regardless of what causes the shock, the presence of low blood pressure, along with cold limbs, cold sweat, reduced urine output, and an indifferent expression, indicates insufficient peripheral vascular perfusion. Prolonged insufficient perfusion can lead to damage to vital organs. Therefore, timely emergency treatment is essential to elevate blood pressure and save the patient's life. The initial steps include administering oxygen to ensure the oxygenation of vital organs, replenishing blood volume, using vasopressors, and providing timely emergency treatment to save the patient's life.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei

Cardiology

47sec

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What are the symptoms of low blood pressure?

Long-term low blood pressure can lead to general weakness, loss of appetite, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and blackouts. Due to the excessively low blood pressure, the important organs suffer from ischemia and hypoxia, causing symptoms of ischemia and hypoxia in various organs, especially cerebral hypoxia, which can manifest as nausea, vomiting, headaches, blackouts, and even fainting. Therefore, low blood pressure should be actively treated and improved. Severe low blood pressure requires the use of medications, replenishment of blood volume, and appropriate application of certain vasopressor drugs to raise blood pressure and maintain adequate blood supply to important organs.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei

Cardiology

52sec

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What to eat for low blood pressure

Dietary adjustments for low blood pressure are a major aspect. People with low blood pressure should consume high-nutrition, high-protein, and high-vitamin foods, especially drinking more fresh soups, including high-protein soups such as fish soup, shrimp soup, chicken soup, ginseng soup, and sea cucumber soup. These soups can enhance the body's immunity, provide high-quality protein, increase heart contractility, and quickly increase blood volume, thereby achieving a blood pressure-raising effect. Some traditional Chinese medicines can also be used, such as those that supplement Qi and blood, including Astragalus, Codonopsis, American ginseng, jujube, and goji berries, which have the effect of raising blood pressure.

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Written by Xiao Chang Jiang

Cardiology

2min 9sec

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symptoms of low blood pressure

Next, let us introduce some symptoms of low blood pressure. Actually, low blood pressure is divided into physiological and pathological low blood pressure. Generally speaking, physiological low blood pressure is asymptomatic, while pathological low blood pressure might have six major types of symptoms: The first type is fatigue and weakness, especially in the morning. Patients may feel listless and weak in their limbs which can improve after a nap or rest, but the fatigue may return in the afternoon or evening; The second type of symptoms includes headaches and dizziness. Among patients with low blood pressure, headaches are a common complaint, often occurring after intense mental activity or physical exertion. The nature and severity of headaches can vary, often manifesting as dull pain in the temporal or occipital region, but can also be intense pulsating pain or numb pain. Dizziness can vary in severity; mild cases involve blackout vision and vertigo, while severe cases can lead to fainting spells and even collapse, often occurring during sudden changes in body position, or when moving from a squatting to a standing position; The third type of symptoms involves chest pain or discomfort in the cardiac area, where patients with low blood pressure often experience such discomfort; The fourth type involves neurological dysfunctions, which can manifest as lethargy, reduced memory, sleep disturbances or insomnia, and severe cases may show signs of autonomic dysfunction. Symptoms might include pale skin, mild cyanosis, fluctuations between feeling cold and hot, sensations of ants crawling, or numbness in hands and feet; The fifth type of symptoms is reduced endocrine function, primarily shown as insufficient levels of substances like adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some patients may exhibit reduced blood sugar levels or decreased sexual function; The sixth type of symptoms includes poor appetite, abdominal discomfort, indigestion, or increased red blood cell count, decreased white blood cell count, reduced immunity, making infections more likely, etc.

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Written by Zeng Wei Jie

Cardiology

49sec

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Clinical symptoms of low blood pressure

The clinical symptoms of hypotension mainly depend on its type. For example, in patients with orthostatic hypotension, symptoms such as dizziness, syncope, or even falling may occur when moving from a lying to a standing position. For hypotension caused by shock, it can be divided into hypovolemic shock and shock caused by reduced cardiac output, which may lead to symptoms like reduced urine output, cold and clammy skin, rapid heart rate, and short pulse. The clinical symptoms caused by cardiac tamponade are also generally related to reduced cardiac output. If the hypotension is caused by gastrointestinal bleeding, symptoms like vomiting blood and black stools may occur. Thus, the symptoms of hypotension can vary greatly depending on the cause.