What Makes Yale Medicine’s Approach To Dizziness Unique
Because dizziness can be caused by so many different underlying illnesses, patients might have to undergo several diagnostic tests to ensure a proper diagnosis. At Yale Medicine, most patients can have all those tests performed under one roof.
Yales Medical Campus has a joint clinic that combines the resources from the Hearing and Balance Center with its Otolaryngology Center. Experts work closely with Yales Neurology Program for patients with potential neurological disorders. Physicians from each clinic are each trained to assess a patients symptoms in a slightly different way and they work together to identify the best possible treatment.
Primary High Blood Pressure
While the specific cause of primary high blood pressure remains unknown, there is compelling evidence to suggest that a number of risk factors increase your chances of developing the condition.
These risk factors include:
- age – the risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older
- a family history of high blood pressure – the condition seems to run in families
- being of Afro-Caribbean or South Asian origin
- high amount of salt in your diet
- lack of exercise
- excessive alcohol consumption
A number of health conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease, have also been linked to an increase risk of developing primary high blood pressure.
What Can I Do About Dizziness That Comes With My Blood Pressure Medications
Dr. Domenic Sica answers the question: ‘Dizziness And Blood Pressure Meds?’
& #151 — Question: I have well-controlled blood pressure on several medications but recently began feeling dizzy when I stand up. What can I do about this?
Answer: Well, when you take blood pressure medicines, there are important facets or features of the therapy that can give you too much of an effect. So if your pressure — the phrase we use oftentimes is ‘bottoms out,’ then you’re going to be symptomatic or you’re going to get — dizziness is a very common symptom when you stand up. So that will be a first thing to think about, is, could you get your blood pressured measured at the time of the symptom if the blood pressure is too low, then adjustments have to be made.
The second issue is: there’s a phenomenon of postural, or standing up, blood pressure drop, which kind of sneaks its way in to what happens with us as we age or if we are a diabetic. So oftentimes it’s very useful, particularly if a patient is taking their blood pressure readings at home, to every so often, every several months or so, obtain a blood pressure when lying down and obtain a blood pressure after you stand up for about three to five minutes. That will show you if there’s a postural element — standing up, your blood pressure falls. Doctors oftentimes need that information in order to adjust medications accordingly.
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What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure
Lets start with a bit of information on blood pressure and hypertension.
When your heart pumps blood through your body, this increases the pressure in your arteries. Normally, they respond by widening. High blood pressure happens when your arteries have hardened . Hardened arteries do not relax sufficiently. As a result, your blood pressure increases.
In other words, your arteries remain relatively narrow even when you have a lot of blood flowing through them. Over the years, the increased pressure on your arteries damages them as well as your heart. Eventually, high blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart attack.
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Blood Pressure Checks During Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, you should have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis, even if it is not high.
Watching your blood pressure while you are pregnant reduces your risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension. This can lead to a serious condition called pre-eclampsia where there is a problem with the placenta .
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Common Cause Of Dizziness May Spell Heart Trouble
Blood Pressure That Falls When You Stand May Be a Clue to Coming Heart Failure
March 19, 2012 âBlood pressure that drops when a person stands up may signal a higher risk for heart failure, a new study shows.
If further research supports the studyâs findings, a simple test that measures blood pressure change as a person gets to their feet may one day help doctors spot heart failure early, when it is most manageable.
The study followed more than 12,000 middle-aged adults for nearly two decades.
At the start of the study, researchers measured blood pressure while people were lying down and then several times over a two-minute period after they stood.
âIf the top number, the systolic number, fell by 20 or more points, or the bottom number, the diastolic blood pressure, fell by 10 or more points, then it was defined as orthostatic hypotension,â says Christine D. Jones, MD, an internist and resident in preventive medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In orthostatic hypotension, the blood pressure drops when the body is in an upright standing position, as compared to a reclining position. Sometimes the sudden dip causes a brief dizzy spell or head rush. In severe cases it may cause a person to faint.
âSometimes people can have it and not feel a thing,â Jones says.
Cardionomic Circuit Dysfunction And Blood Pressure Symptoms
The first stage of Cardionomic Circuit Dysfunction has to do with the adrenal component and cortisol output. This is where you can start to notice high blood pressure symptoms, such as heart pounding, dizziness, and breathlessness.
After cortisol is increased, the sympathoadrenal hormone system of the ANS gets activated. This is the system that regulates adrenaline and norepinephrine. When these hormones are out of balance, more problematic cardiovascular symptoms appear, such as subclinical POTS .
If the dysfunction progresses further, it can damage the cardiac nodes, which regulate the heartbeat. This can lead to more specific blood pressure symptoms, such as postural hypotension, where you get a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing up. You can also get atrial fibrillation and idiopathic supraventricular tachycardia.
And as the Cardionomic Circuit dysregulates more, the severity and frequency of such symptoms increase, as well as damage to the heart and blood vessels. You can also see full-blown POTS, panic attacks, and severe insomnia. Its possible to end up bedridden with a lot of cardiac damage.
- Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Reviewed on 12/1/2020
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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Angiotensin Ii Receptor Blockers
Avapro , and another angiotensin II receptor blockers, alleviate high blood pressure by allowing your arteries to relax and widen. Side effects are most likely to occur with a change in dosage, which could be prescribed or induced when you take it irregularly or not as directed.
Taking additional medications, from your healthcare professional or ones you bought at the drug store, including supplements, can trigger a variety of side effects.
Use caution when taking ARBs with any additional prescription or over-the-counter medications, or supplements. Check with your pharmacist about possible interactions that may trigger side effects.
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Hypertension A Disaster Waiting To Strike
Hypertension has earned the moniker silent killer for a reason. If developing cardiovascular diseases runs in your blood, its a good idea to check your blood pressure regularly. This way, you can monitor your condition and make necessary lifestyle changes.
It would also help to try spotting other common signs of hypertension, such as:
- Vision problems such as seeing blind spots
- Profuse sweating
The earlier you detect your blood pressure problem, the better. This will help you manage its debilitating symptoms and prevent the onset of worse heart conditions like stroke, weakened blood vessels, aneurysms, and heart failure.
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Blood Pressure And Vertigo
People who have problems such as hypertension or hypotension may experience dizziness from the blood pressure itself.
We may also find that there is a link between blood pressure and vertigo or dizziness, related to the vestibular system.
The blood pressure and vertigo link can occur when blood pressure that is too high or too low affects the blood flow in the inner ear vestibular system.
What Else Should I Know
- Strong emotions can be a part of the illness, so itâs important to recognize and express your feelings. Feelings like sadness, anger, and frustration are completely normal and itâs important to acknowledge how you feel and recognize that itâs not your fault. Recognizing emotions can help you figure out whatâs behind your feelings and help you manage problems.
- It can help to keep a daily diary of feelings and energy highs and lows. This also can let you share information that might help your doctor. You can also track trends for example, if your energy is high at one time of day and low at another that will help you figure out when to exercise or do other activities.
- Give yourself more time to do things, especially activities that take concentration or physical exertion.
- Get support from family, teachers, and friends.
- Get information about CFS from reliable sources. Thereâs a lot of misinformation and confusion about this disease. So itâs important to know and trust your sources.
Most important, donât give up. Having chronic fatigue syndrome can be hard. But for most people, the symptoms are most severe in the beginning. Later, they may come and go. Teens with CFS generally get better faster and recover more completely than adults do. Most teens get partial or full recovery within 5 years after symptoms began.
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Causes Of Lightheadedness May Be Dehydration Medication Side Effects Sudden Blood Pressure Drops Low Blood Sugar And Heart Disease Or Stroke
Feeling woozy, lightheaded, or a little faint is a common complaint among older adults. Although it’s not usually caused by anything life-threatening, it could be, so you need to be careful.
“Don’t ignore it. Even if the lightheadedness does not have a serious cause, it could lead to serious injuries from a fall. And at the worst, the cause may itself be life-threatening,” says Dr. Shamai Grossman, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School.
If you feel lightheaded and/or , Dr. Grossman recommends having a drink of water or orange juice and lying down. If symptoms last more than 15 minutes, he says it’s time to seek medical help in an urgent or emergency care setting. Even if symptoms are brief, and even if you think you know the cause, report the lightheadedness to your doctor.
Why High Blood Pressure Can Make You Feel Tired
If youve had hypertension for a while, you may have noticed that you sometimes feel tired after little or no exertion.
When left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to some serious medical complications, including those that make you feel tired easily.
Lets take a look at some of these complications that might be causing your fatigue.
- Medical Author: Dan Brennan, MD
Reviewed on 6/15/2020
Your symptoms can be due to multiple medical causes, including middle ear disorders, high blood pressure, stress reactions, and other medical conditions. You might start with rest and hydration. If you are concerned about your symptoms, please contact your doctor.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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When To See A Doctor
If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor immediately. You could be having a hypertensive crisis that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. You may also have another serious health condition.
Most of the time, high blood pressure doesnât cause headaches or nosebleeds. But, this can happen in a hypertensive crisis when blood pressure is above 180/120. If your blood pressure is extremely high and you have these symptoms, rest for 5 minutes and check again. If your blood pressure is still unusually high, itâs a medical emergency. Call 911.
Itâs important to remember that high blood pressure doesnât usually have symptoms. So, everyone should get it checked regularly. The American Heart Association recommends that adults with normal blood pressure should get blood pressure checked each year at routine health visits. You may also have it checked at a health resource fair or other locations in your community.
If you have high blood pressure, your doctor might recommend that you monitor it more often at home. At-home monitors may work better than store-based machines. Your doctor will also recommend making lifestyle changes along with medications to lower your blood pressure.
Untreated hypertension can lead to serious diseases, including stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and eye problems.
Are High Blood Pressure Causes Common
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major cause of stroke and other diseases, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. However, many people dont know what they can do to lower their risk. Your blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. Your heart is required to pump blood against this force. Your blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury. It can be described as the average pressure in the arteries of your body.
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Dizziness Is Also A Side Effect Of Some High Blood Pressure Medications
Increased blood pressure does not appear to cause dizziness but it is a side effect of some high blood pressure medications, especially alpha blockers and alpha-beta blockers. If you get dizzy while taking any medication, talk to your doctor about other drugs that might work for you with fewer side effects. Additionally, much research on dizziness and blood pressure indicates that low blood pressure is generally the culprit.
When the blood pressure drops, dizziness is a common side effect. A person who gets light-headed when standing up too quickly is experiencing orthostatic hypotension dizziness that occurs when systolic blood pressure drops more than 20 mm Hg or diastolic drops more than 10 mm Hg. But age not high blood pressure is the most common risk factor for this condition.The important thing to take note of is what your blood pressure readings are when you experience the dizziness whether low or elevated.
Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or trouble walking are all warning signs of a stroke. So you must contact your doctor to resolve this situation.
Controlling Your Blood Pressure
High and low blood pressure can both cause dizziness or equilibrium problems, so controlling your blood pressure can help prevent these symptoms. There are many habits you can formincluding regularly measuring your blood pressure and maintaining an active lifestyleto help control your blood pressure.
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High Blood Pressure In Adults
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood to your body. Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure.
Untreated high blood pressure can lead to many medical problems. These include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, eye problems, and other health issues.
Blood pressure readings are given as two numbers. The top number is called systolic blood pressure. The bottom number is called diastolic blood pressure. For example, 120 over 80 .
One or both of these numbers can be too high.
- Normal blood pressure is when your blood pressure is lower than 120/80 mm Hg most of the time.
- High blood pressure is when one or both of your blood pressure readings are higher than 130/80 mm Hg most of the time.
- If the top blood pressure number is between 120 and 130 mm Hg, and the bottom blood pressure number is less than 80 mm Hg, it is called elevated blood pressure.
If you have heart or kidney problems, or you had a stroke, your doctor may want your blood pressure to be even lower than that of people who do not have these conditions.
Dizziness Fatigue Feeling Faint And High Blood Pressure
- Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Reviewed on 7/13/2021
High blood pressure can occur without associated symptoms but can also be accompanied by dizziness or other symptoms. An extremely high blood pressure is a sign of a medical emergency and warrants immediate attention. Dizziness and feeling faint can also occur with other conditions. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about these or any worrisome symptoms.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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Can Hypoglycemia Cause Dizziness
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugars can also cause dizziness.
When the brain experiences low glucose levels, it doesnt receive enough fuel to function as it should. This can lead to mental confusion as well as feeling dizzy.
This effect can be experienced by people with type 1, type 2 diabetes, or LADA . Its also possible for people without diabetes to experience hypoglycemia, which includes dizziness as a symptom.