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There is a lot of evidence there is some association between a person’s blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles. Respiration in the lungs has a concrete influence over the development of the pressure in blood vessels of the body, and the oxygen delivered during respiratory activities affect the receptors in the body regions. This means the rate of respiration may become influenced.

If there is weakness in the respiratory act (basically problems with breathing), the blood pressure may become affected. For example if person encounters pathogenic effects of pulmonary infections like pneumothorax, the blood pressure within the blood vessels becomes affected and the blood pressure may decrease down to dangerous levels.

If a person with unbalanced pulmonary functions is given a general anesthesia, the blood pressure may drastically reduce particularly during the stages of deeper anesthesia. This can be a life threatening situation and should be carefully monitored during anesthesia.

Since there is a dependency between blood pressure and weak respiratory muscles, it’s important that people understand the diseases affecting the respiratory system and its impact on related organs.

Diuretics

Diuretics work in the kidney and flush excess water and minerals from the body. They have to be carefully monitored though as it is easy to overdose and deplete the body of important minerals.

Beta-blockers

Beta-blockers decrease nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels. This helps the heart beat slower and less forcefully. The blood pressure then drops to a more acceptable level and the work of the heart is made much easier.

ACE inhibitors

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors avoid the formation of a hormone called angiotensin II. This hormone usually causes blood vessels to narrow which then forces the blood pressure to go up to quite often dangerous levels. ACE inhibitors cause the vessels to relax and the blood pressure can be maintained at a more acceptable level.

Angiotensin antagonists

Angiotensin antagonists also protect blood vessels from angiotensin II. this ensures the blood vessels become wide enough for the blood to flow smoothly and helps the blood pressure reduce.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs)

CCBs prevent calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This causes blood vessels to relax and pressure goes down to a more acceptable level.

Alpha-blockers

These lessen nerve impulses to blood vessels. This then allows blood to pass through the arteries more easily, causing the blood pressure to reduce.

Alpha-beta-blockers

Alpha-beta-blockers work in a similar way to alpha-blockers. However they also slow down the heartbeat, as beta-blockers do. This means less blood is pumped through the blood vessels and the blood pressure reduces accordingly.

Nervous system inhibitors

These relax the blood vessels by controlling and monitoring nerve impulses. This causes the blood vessels to become wider so the blood can flow more easily. This then encourages the blood pressure to reduce.

Vasodilators

These work by opening up the blood vessels. They relax muscles in the blood vessel walls this then helps the blood pressure to reduce. However vasodilators can have side effects such as severe headaches.

Medications used to treat hypertension or high blood pressure, are called anti-hypertensive’s. There are several types or classes of anti-hypertensive drugs, used to treat high blood pressure and each type has an effect on a person’s blood pressure in different ways.

After careful consideration, a doctor will choose an antihypertensive medication that is best for a patient’s age, medical history and any other medical factor he feels is relevant. It’s important he gets it right.

There are many kinds of high blood pressure medicines. Many people with high blood pressure have swelling to their ankles for instance. This is because of a build up of fluid in their body.

Diuretics or “water pills” enable this excess fluid to be flushed out of the body when urinating. This then reduces the blood volume in the body which also helps in reducing the blood pressure. Other types of anti- hypertensive medicines assist in relaxing tight blood vessels which helps the flow of blood run more smoothly.

Because there is no known cure for hypertension, treatment for high blood pressure is normally a life-long process with the blood pressure being monitored on a regular basis to ensure patients are receiving optimum effect from their medication.

A standard blood pressure reading for healthy adults is usually shown to be below 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, or 120/80. Nonetheless, age and a medical history should always be taken into account as older people tend to have higher blood pressure readings.

Modifying your lifestyle is an excellent way of reducing your blood pressure. A person with high blood pressure who is overweight, and takes very little exercise, would probably find that modifying their lifestyle would assist in reducing their blood pressure to an acceptable level without the need to take medication.

A person with Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension usually requires two or more types of medicine to control their blood pressure.

Beat the pressure

Your blood pressure is a powerful force which causes blood to stream through the body from the arteries where the pressure is high, throughout the organs of the body, and into the veins where the pressure becomes low. Your blood pressure is generated by the pumping of blood by your heart into the arteries as well as resistance to the flow of blood by your arteries.

Systolic blood pressure (which is the top number of your blood pressure) represents the pressure in your arteries occurring as the muscle of the heart contract and pump blood into the arteries. The diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) represents the pressure in the arteries when the muscle of the heart relaxes after it contracts.

Alcohol has a significant effect on high blood pressure, so it’s important people pay more attention on the association of alcohol and blood pressure and its effect on their health.

People who drink excess amounts of alcohol often show signs of having higher blood pressure then non-excessive drinkers. This becomes significant, especially in cases where people are regular drinkers. If the alcohol intake is kept fairly limited i.e. occasional drinking then the blood pressure level is not so prone to lean towards dangerously high levels.

For example, a person may have an alcoholic beverage, such as twelve ounces of beer or five ounces of wine, each of which is considered a single drink per day, Therefore males may take one or two drinks and be within safe levels. But a female may take only one drink in comparison to this as females do not have the same level of tolerance towards alcohol as males. When, the intake of alcohol is increased over this safe level by both sexes, there is an impact on the elasticity of the blood vessels and this in turn can increase their blood pressure reading towards medically dangerous levels.

Alcohol and blood pressure changes due to drinking habits are causes for concern by physicians who deal with these types of hypertension patients, as other problems they need to take into account are people drinking alcohol in excess may develop weight increase problems due to the increase in calories.

If the blood pressure is raised because of weight problems, then yet further medication may have to be administered to control the high blood pressure. This can be difficult to prescribe as the alcohol in the person’s body can have an adverse effect on the medication being prescribed for them.

Considering the strong association between alcohol and raised blood pressure, it’s obvious that drinking less alcohol is much more preferable to drinking excessively large amounts. Therefore people with cardiac disorders such as myocarditis, severe hypertension or congestive cardiac failure should avoid alcohol based beverages if at all possible. If they cannot avoid alcohol completely, they should keep their drinking down to a very low level.

Though calcium and magnesium in the body can become decreased due to the intake of alcohol, supplementing them may cause their own indirect problems such as increases in blood pressure. Therefore any patient with an alcohol dependence problem should have all their medications very thoroughly and carefully prescribed and monitored by their physician taking their alcohol dependence into account.

Anyone with a drinking problem is prone to increased blood pressure and one of the problems of trying to correct the blood pressure with medication is the effect alcohol has on the prescription. It can very often enhance its potency thus causing further medical problems.

Any patient who has an alcohol problem and raised blood pressure should be advised and encouraged to reduce their drinking as much as possible. Guidelines and limits should be given for drinking by their physician and these should be adhered to as much as possible by the patient.