Causes of low diastolic blood pressure in the elderly

Most middle-aged and elderly people have high blood pressure. It can be said that high blood pressure is the most common disease among the elderly, and it is very easy to cause complications. Normal people's blood pressure is generally around 120 for high pressure and around 80 for low pressure. If the elderly have low diastolic blood pressure, it is closely related to their rest and diet. So what is the reason for low diastolic blood pressure in the elderly?

The ideal diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mmHg. Therefore, we advocate that the diastolic blood pressure of the elderly should not be lower than 70 mmHg. 70 mmHg is the warning line and 60 mmHg is the danger line.

Hypertension in the elderly is a common and frequently occurring disease among the elderly, accounting for 58% of the spectrum of diseases in the elderly and is the leading cause of death and disability among the elderly.

Hypertension in the elderly has its own particularities. The systolic blood pressure of ordinary people changes with age, that is, the systolic blood pressure continues to increase with age. However, diastolic blood pressure tends to be normal or low after the age of 50, which is a characteristic of blood pressure in the elderly. Data show that among elderly people with hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension accounts for 24% in those under 55 years old and 69% in those over 75 years old; isolated diastolic hypertension accounts for 36% in those under 55 years old and only 3.1% in those over 75 years old. Most elderly people with hypertension have systolic hypertension.

Low diastolic blood pressure plays an important role in the progression and prognosis of hypertension in the elderly. Changes in diastolic blood pressure in the elderly are inversely correlated with cardiovascular events. The lower the diastolic blood pressure, the higher the incidence of cardiovascular events. Taking low diastolic blood pressure and isolated systolic hypertension as an example, too low diastolic blood pressure can cause serious damage to the human body. There are four main aspects:

Damage to the heart The heart's own blood supply is borne by the coronary arteries, and the blood volume perfused into the coronary arteries depends on diastolic pressure. When the diastolic blood pressure is lower than 60 mmHg, the blood supply to the myocardium is reduced by 1/3, which can cause myocardial ischemia, angina pectoris, and even myocardial infarction in severe cases. Studies have shown that when the level of systolic blood pressure remains the same, an excessive decrease in diastolic blood pressure will increase the risk of myocardial infarction and mortality. When the diastolic blood pressure is lower than 60 mmHg, the incidence of myocardial infarction is 36%; when the diastolic blood pressure is between 60 and 70 mmHg, the incidence of myocardial infarction is 14%; when the diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 90 mmHg, the incidence of myocardial infarction is 8% to 9%. Other studies have found that for patients with hypertension and coronary heart disease and heart failure, the risk of heart failure will increase by 14% for every 10 mmHg decrease in diastolic blood pressure.

Effects on cerebral blood vessels Hypertension is the most dangerous factor for hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. Data show that for every 10 mmHg decrease in diastolic blood pressure, stroke bleeding will increase by 24%.

Damage to the kidneys: Low diastolic blood pressure can damage the basement membrane of the kidneys, increase urine protein, blood creatinine and urea nitrogen, and increase the incidence of renal insufficiency by 31%.

Impact on cognitive function Low diastolic blood pressure has a great impact on cognitive function and can reduce intelligence. For every 10 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure, intelligence decreases by 34%.