High blood pressure

Physicians consider any blood pressure that consistently stays at 140/90mm Hg or more as 'high'. High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart diseases, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. When we become older our blood pressure often increases. This is because our blood vessels decrease in elasticity with age.

What is postural hypotension?

Postural hypotension is present when there is a drop in blood pressure (top reading) 20mm of mercury (systolic) or by 10mm in (bottom reading) (diastolic) when we assume upright posture from lying down or sitting position. Such a sudden fall in blood supply to the organs e.g. Brain, heart etc and produce symptoms like dizziness of fainting in severe cases

This can cause a number of symptoms, including:

• Feeling weak, dizzy and light-headed;
• Experiencing blurred vision;
• Losing consciousness for a short time with or without warning (fainting).

Many medical studies have shown that there is a close connection between postural hypotension and falls in older people.

The possibility of suffering postural hypotension increases with age. Common causes are the usage of certain medication, hypovolemia (a decreased amount of fluid in the circulation), dehydration, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, advanced diabetes or long bed rest.