Hypotension in the elderly - treatment and consequences

Hypotension or low blood pressure often occurs in the elderly, which is not a danger in the development of cardiovascular disease, as in the same elderly people with hypertension. But hypotension in the elderly is dangerous because it can cause so many complications incompatible with life.

What is the danger of hypotension in the elderly?

In old age it is difficult to meet a person who does not have any diseases. Generally, degenerative-dystrophic changes occur in the body with age, which first of all affect the vessels, heart, joints, liver, kidneys, brain, that is, the target organs.

In some cases, hypotension, which caused a lot of trouble, with the years due to a natural increase in blood pressure, comes back to normal. This occurs when there are fewer concomitant diseases in patients, and they themselves try to lead a healthy lifestyle.

If this does not occur, hypotension in the elderly becomes orthostatic, which occurs when trying to take a vertical position from a sitting or lying position. In this case, patients experience tinnitus, darkening of the eyes, dizziness, and sometimes a fainting condition. Even if there is no fainting, a person can not resist and fall, getting a more serious injury.

With hypotension, blood simply does not reach all areas of the brain, causing the death of cells and vital sites responsible for the regulation of all nervous activity. Although the risk of complications with hypotension is lower than the risk of hypertension, this does not entitle you to pay attention to hypotension, especially for the elderly. When hypotension can occur complications such as ischemic stroke, head injuries in the fall, senile dementia( dementia) and many other dangerous conditions.

A hypotension can occur after a prolonged forced stay in bed or in a hospital bed, which happens after the transferred operations or illnesses. Sometimes this condition provokes the intake of medications taken by older people, for example, from high blood pressure. Overdose of such drugs can cause a sudden attack of reduced pressure.

In some cases, in elderly people, blood pressure in hypotension does not decrease in both indices, and only one of them decreases. This occurs when hypotension of other cardiovascular diseases is stratified.

Treatment of hypotension in the elderly

Treatment for hypotension in the elderly is not much different from similar methods of treatment in other people of other age groups. Most doctors consider the main component of treatment for hypotension a change in lifestyle. In case of disease, arterial hypotension in elderly patients is treated to the following simple rules:

• It is more to be outdoors, making walks. Such walks can be replaced, if desired, by a set of physical exercises that you have to perform daily.
• Eliminate factors that may cause orthostatic hypotension and postprandial disease. For this, getting out of bed should be gradual and slow, and in the diet of food to observe the rules of food intake and a certain diet.
• Use every day tinctures or decoctions of medicinal herbs that can raise the tone of blood vessels and normalize the pressure. These include eleuterococcus, rhodiolarose, levzeya, ginseng.
• Do not abuse strong drinks containing caffeine( black tea, coffee, cocoa).In everything, a measure is needed, and 1 -2 cups per day of these drinks will be of great benefit, and abuse of them can cause a decrease in pressure.

All the elderly who have hypertensive disease, it is necessary to take with caution the antihypertensive agents to reduce the pressure. To do this, you need to regularly measure the pressure before and after taking medications to prevent the onset of an attack of hypotension. It is desirable to take antihypertensive drugs with a cardiologist or a therapist and not engage in self-medication.