What causes high blood pressure?
Patient: hi, i turned 40 in November. I have never had a problem with high blood pressure. The past week i have not felt well. I have a weird feeling in my head sometimes. Just a sense of overwhelming or pressure. my arms have been aching and hurting some; as well as my hims and legs at times. Diabetes and heart disease are in my family. I felt really bad one day and checked my sugar with my father s meter 2 hours aftet eating. My blood sugar reading was 140. But i have checked it before eating lunch the past days and it was 79 and 78. I have checked my bp at home also. It has been readings such as 134/99, 140/101, 123/90, 134/96..and elevated other times too. I ve been checking it several times the past few days. What should i think and do? I had already made an appointment with a new medical doctor for march 31 to get established. I called back but the receptionist said he had no openings before that date. And if i needed attention before to go to a local clinic. I am making it but i just don t feel well. Should i be more concerned or fine to keep waiting till my appointment? Doctor: Hello!I carefully passed through your question and would explain that your symptoms do not seem to be related to any cardiac disorders. The muscular pain could be related to a viral infection or electrolyte imbalance. This does not seem to be an emergent situation and you can wait until your doctor consultation. I would recommend performing some tests: - complete blood count- muscular enzymes- PCR, sedimentation test for inflammation- liver and kidney function tests- blood electrolytesRegarding your blood pressure values, I would recommend to closely monitor your blood pressure different times during the day ( in sitting position, after 10 minutes of total relax),write them down and show them to your new doctor. The values you refer are within the normal ranges, and some of them are borderline. This means that you do not need to start antihypertensive therapy. Some lifestyle modifications would be enough to help you maintain a normal blood pressure: - a healthy diet ( low salt and caffeine intake)- a lot of physical activity (aerobics, walking, jogging, recreational sports, etc.)- reduce your weight if you are overweight. Considering your blood sugar levels, they are within the normal ranges and do not indicate diabetes. So do not worry about them!Hope you will find this answer helpful!Kind regards!Dr. Iliri