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Is BP Value Of 70/40 A Cause For Concern In An Elderly Person?
Posted on
Sun, 8 May 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sun, 8 May 2016
Answered on
Tue, 21 Jun 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : My 97 year old Mother is normally very alert and independent. several weeks ago she got very dizzy and confused. She could not walk on her own and couldn't answer questions. She was taken to the hospital. They did an ekg, and cat scan and found nothing. Assuming she was dehydrated they put her on an IV to re-hydrate her. She slept for 24 hours. When she was awake sometimes she was aware of things and sometimes not.
She went to rehab where she continues to have some very lucid moments and others where she is not. They find they need to give her verbal cues about every day tasks. This was not the case before. SHe had two incidents while on the way to PT when she collapsed. They took her blood pressure and it was 105/60 and 70/40. She is 5' and 98 lbs. She was on Lisinopril 40 MG and amlodipine 2.5 mg. She is also on atorvastatin 20mg. She was on these meds for a very long time. THey have now taken her off all of the blood pressure meds. The rehab place wants to send her home because she does not qualify to be there for the blood pressure issue. While they have promised not to send her home if she is passing out, we fear they are in a rush to send her home. THey are trying to stabilize her blood pressure. What blood pressure would be appropriate for her and how long should she maintain it in order for the blood pressure to be considered stabilized. Are there other questions we should be asking. Thanks
She went to rehab where she continues to have some very lucid moments and others where she is not. They find they need to give her verbal cues about every day tasks. This was not the case before. SHe had two incidents while on the way to PT when she collapsed. They took her blood pressure and it was 105/60 and 70/40. She is 5' and 98 lbs. She was on Lisinopril 40 MG and amlodipine 2.5 mg. She is also on atorvastatin 20mg. She was on these meds for a very long time. THey have now taken her off all of the blood pressure meds. The rehab place wants to send her home because she does not qualify to be there for the blood pressure issue. While they have promised not to send her home if she is passing out, we fear they are in a rush to send her home. THey are trying to stabilize her blood pressure. What blood pressure would be appropriate for her and how long should she maintain it in order for the blood pressure to be considered stabilized. Are there other questions we should be asking. Thanks
Brief Answer:
it's dementia, but something made it worse...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
dementia does not usually evolve so rapidly. It's possible that something happened and made her dementia worse. Was it a low blood pressure? Fever (even low grade)? A urinary tract infection? A cardiovascular incident? I don't know. The doctors who assessed her condition should know more about that.
70/40 is too low and may impair blood flow to vital organs including the brain. At her 97 years, her organs are probably hypoperfused anyway and a sudden (or even a progressive) drop in blood pressure could have caused permanent damage and worsening in her condition.
I suppose that the doctor have excluded cardiovascular incidents like stroke or acute myocardial infarction or arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, etc.
If she were my mother I would have asked about the cause and the investigation they did. That would be helpful for the next doctor to understand what might have caused the problem and what was excluded from the differential diagnosis list.
The ideal blood pressure for her is between 110 and 140 mmHg (systolic) and 60-90mmHg (diastolic). Lower measurements are acceptable as long as her organs do not exhibit signs of dysfunction for example diminished urine production, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, etc.
I hope you find my comments helfpul!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
it's dementia, but something made it worse...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
dementia does not usually evolve so rapidly. It's possible that something happened and made her dementia worse. Was it a low blood pressure? Fever (even low grade)? A urinary tract infection? A cardiovascular incident? I don't know. The doctors who assessed her condition should know more about that.
70/40 is too low and may impair blood flow to vital organs including the brain. At her 97 years, her organs are probably hypoperfused anyway and a sudden (or even a progressive) drop in blood pressure could have caused permanent damage and worsening in her condition.
I suppose that the doctor have excluded cardiovascular incidents like stroke or acute myocardial infarction or arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, etc.
If she were my mother I would have asked about the cause and the investigation they did. That would be helpful for the next doctor to understand what might have caused the problem and what was excluded from the differential diagnosis list.
The ideal blood pressure for her is between 110 and 140 mmHg (systolic) and 60-90mmHg (diastolic). Lower measurements are acceptable as long as her organs do not exhibit signs of dysfunction for example diminished urine production, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, etc.
I hope you find my comments helfpul!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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