Hypotension Symptoms

Hypotension is the clinical name given to an abnormally low blood pressure. The normal blood pressure level is determined by the systolic blood pressure divided by the diastolic blood pressure reading. This reading varies from person to person, but any reading below 90 mm Hg is considered to represent a state of low blood pressure level. A person with slightly low readings below normal may be preferably healthy and live a longer life than others. However, a person with extremely low blood pressure might suffer from weakness and dizziness and can even experience other health related issues. There are quite a few signs that a person suffering from hypotension show. Unlike the symptoms of high blood pressure which are poorly defined and often absent, the symptoms of low blood pressure can be easily recognized. This article provides you with various symptoms of low blood pressure.

Signs & Symptoms Of Low Blood Pressure

Orthostatic Hypotension Symptoms

Orthostatic hypotension may cause certain symptoms that are visible within few seconds of standing up, after having been sitting or lying down for a long duration. Patients might be unable to stand upright and faint right away.
Other symptom of orthostatic hypotension can include dizziness or the feeling of lightheadedness. The person might suddenly start experiencing that the head is rotating and that he/she is feeling giddy and woozy.
Orthostatic hypotension might also affect the eyesight. A person suffering from this type of hypotension will have blurry or hazy vision and is likely to feel some curtain in front of the eyes.
A patient of orthostatic hypotension might experience severe confusion and slow thinking process. This is mainly because blood does not get pumped regularly and effectively to the brain, leading to the dysfunction of brain, leaving the person in a confused state of mind.
One of the very common symptoms of hypotension is the feeling of weakness. The patient might feel that the body has no strength to even stand up and bare his/her own weight.
Orthostatic hypotension can also cause the feeling of nausea in the patients.

Severe Hypotension Symptoms (Linked to Shock)

Symptoms of a severe hypotension depends on the intensity of shock a person experiences.
A shock created by low blood volume or poor pumping action in the heart causes the skin to get cold and sweat.
If a person gets shocked, there is not much blood flowing to the major organs of the body including the brain. This might lead to the feeling of sleepiness, lightheadedness and confusion.
The shock makes the skin go pale and blue. Though the color of the skin gradually comes back, there remains a bluish network of lines under the skin.
A hypotension caused due to shock also causes weak or rapid pulse. The patient who suffers a shock, due to poor pumping of the heart, experiences his/her pulses slowing down. For others, rapid beating of the heart causes an increase in the pulse rate.
The person who undergoes a shock starts breathing rapidly. Their lungs start gasping for air, making them to breathe heavily.

General Symptoms

A person suffering from low blood pressure might suddenly feel that they are standing on a rocking boat. His/her head start rotating and leads to the feeling of dizziness.
A person suffering from hypotension might also faint suddenly. This happens as the blood stops flowing suddenly to the brain, making it numb and the body helpless.
A person who suffers from low blood pressure experiences changes in their mental status. He/she might experience lack of concentration, confusion or a sense of anxiety.
The breathing pattern of the patients suffering from hypotension also undergoes changes. Fast and shallow breathing is quiet common during an episode of hypotension.

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