Introduction
The combination of low blood pressure and high pulse is very common and is due to a natural reaction of the body. When the blood pressure is low, the body tries to maintain the amount of blood ejected by the heart in a given period of time so that all vital organs are supplied with sufficient blood. When determining this combination of values, it is therefore important to first get to the bottom of the cause of low blood pressure. It is also advisable to check how well the body can react to fluctuations in blood pressure and thus whether the high pulse rate is the normal reaction of the body or a sign of a disturbance in its adaptability.
Causes of low blood pressure and high pulse
Since the increase of the heart rate and thus the pulse rate is a rather short-term countermeasure of the body in case of low blood pressure, the causes for this combination are usually acute stress situations. This can already be the getting up too quickly after lying down for a longer period of time. This is called orthostatic hypotension.
Other causes of low blood pressure and high pulse rate can consist in more severe strains such as stress or side effects or intolerances to medication. High fluid loss, e.g. through heavy sweating, fever or heavy bleeding, can also be the cause of high pulse. Another reason for an increased heart rate with simultaneously low blood pressure is an underactive thyroid gland.
Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and inflammation of the heart or other organs are other possible causes of high heart rate and should be ruled out as soon as possible. A pulmonary embolism, which often occurs in connection with thrombosis in the legs, is a particularly critical situation and can also be the cause of the symptoms. If sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, bloody sputum or pain in the legs occur, immediate clarification should be carried out in an emergency room.
Do you want to know more about the causes of low blood pressure? The hormones produced by the thyroid gland have an influence on almost all organ systems of the body. They drive the entire metabolism and thus have an influence on heart function, blood pressure and pulse.
Due to the driving effect of the hormones, hyperthyroidism usually results in increased blood pressure and pulse. The opposite is true for hypothyroidism. Here, both low blood pressure and a reduced pulse rate can usually be observed.
Somewhat less typical is the combination of low blood pressure and high pulse rate. However, this can also indicate a hypothyroidism. The high pulse rate is a consequence of low blood pressure, which is caused by a lack of thyroid hormones.
The body tries to transport enough blood to all vital organs in spite of low pressure in the vascular system and thus to ensure the functionality of the thyroid gland. By the load of the body during the sport, both blood pressure and pulse are increased significantly. After finishing the sport, the body counter-regulates, vessels are dilated and the centrally available blood volume and blood pressure drop.
If there was a very strong loss of fluid or an abrupt cessation of exertion during sport, this drop in blood pressure can happen very suddenly and lead to complaints such as dizziness, nausea and paleness. The blood pressure drops significantly faster than the pulse and the combination of high pulse rate and low blood pressure described above occurs. This phenomenon can be counteracted by slowly stopping the activity and ensuring that the patient has a sufficiently long cooling-off period. Furthermore, one should make sure to drink a sufficient amount of water.