Have Sudden Raise In Blood Pressure. Any Infection?

Posted on Thu, 11 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 Answered on

Fri, 2 Aug 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I am 67, take four medications for controlling my blood pressure. They are very effective, and my bp is well under the 130/80 @ around 45 bpm. Today I have experienced an elevated bp of around 140+/ 45-50 with elevated heart rate. I have a few symptoms that suggest an infection, but none of them is drastic. Possible urinary infection--slight burning sensation, overall lassitude, though I was able to do difficult cardio exercise this evening with no impairment. Still the bp is suddenly high. Any thoughts? Is the sudden raise suggestive of an infection?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (1 hour later)

Hi,

I would gladly accept systolic (upper reading) blood pressure close to 140mmHg in any of hypertensive patient at 67 years. You seem to be doing a good job. Keep it up.

Infection is known to cause rise in blood pressure as well as increase heart rate. That being said, rise in blood pressure and increase heart rate does not necessarily mean you have an infection. I would suggest you to visit your local doctor who can order urine examination to confirm the infection and treat it. In the meanwhile, drink plenty of fluids.

Hope this answers your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar