Question to GP Maarten: Too low blood pressure?
Maarten Vasbinder lives in Isaan. His profession is general practitioner, a profession that he mainly practiced in Spain. On Thailandblog he answers questions from readers who live in Thailand.
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Dear Martin,
My wife has been feeling tired and sometimes dizzy lately. She is otherwise healthy, 65 years and 158 and 65 kilos. Did an ATK, which is negative.
Her blood pressure has been measured a number of times and it always comes to 62/98 with a heart rate around 60. I think this is on the low side.
Been using medicine for cholesterol for years, nothing else.
What can she do to get the blood pressure slightly higher?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
B.
*****
Dear B,
The use of abbreviations is something that many doctors and others are guilty of. I sometimes do this myself.
Abbreviations often cause confusion. ATK will mean something of General T Inspection. ATK for cars is General Technical Inspection.
A blood pressure of 62/98 (98/92) is indeed low, but if your blood pressure monitor (BDM) keeps showing the same reading, there is something wrong with your BDM. I assume you mean an average? In any case, have the meter calibrated.
Cholesterol-lowering pills also often lower blood pressure. So skip those pills. They are useless unless your wife has extremely high cholesterol levels.
Also make sure she drinks enough.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Maarten
Do you have a question for Maarten and do you live in Thailand? Send this to the editor: www.thailandblog.nl/contact/ It is important that you provide the correct information (see list at the top of the page).