A daft theory?

[frostbite]

When I went to the doc's last Winter, he said my blood pressure was too high.

I got one of those home units (I know!) to measure it, and it pretty well corresponded with the readings he gave. Lately though, without any medication or change of lifestyle, it has dropped considerably and is close to what is considered normal.

Now for the (daft?) theory - I have poor circulation in both hands and feet. This is, of course, particularly pronounced in cold weather and hardly noticeable when it's warm. Would the restricted flow in cold weather be responsible for causing a certain amount of back pressure, giving the high reading?

[crippen]

Yes,I get the same. So I don't go to doctors when it's cold:cool:

[Mac the Knife]

Relationship Between Blood Pressure and Outdoor Temperature in a Large Sample of Elderly IndividualsThe Three-City Study
Annick Alpérovitch, MD; Jean-Marc Lacombe, MSc; Olivier Hanon, MD; Jean-François Dartigues, MD; Karen Ritchie, PhD; Pierre Ducimetière, PhD; Christophe Tzourio, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(1):75-80.
Background Seasonal variations of blood pressure–related diseases have been described in several populations. However, few studies have examined the seasonal variations of blood pressure in the elderly, a segment of the population particularly exposed to vascular diseases. The association of blood pressure with season and outdoor temperature was examined in 8801 subjects 65 years or older from the Three-City study, a population-based longitudinal study.
Methods Blood pressure was measured at baseline and 2-year follow-up examinations. Daily outdoor temperature measured at 11 AM was provided by the local meteorological offices.
Results Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values differed significantly across the 4 seasons and across the quintiles of the distribution of outdoor temperature. Systolic blood pressure decreased with increasing temperature, with an 8.0–mm Hg decrease between the lowest (<7.9°C) and the highest (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/math/ge.gif21.2°C) temperature quintile. Intraindividual differences in blood pressure between follow-up and baseline examinations were strongly correlated with differences in outdoor temperature. The higher the temperature at follow-up compared with baseline, the greater the decrease in blood pressure. Longitudinal changes in blood pressure according to difference in outdoor temperature were larger in subjects 80 years or older than in younger participants.
Conclusions Outdoor temperature and blood pressure are strongly correlated in the elderly, especially in those 80 years or older. During periods of extreme temperatures, a careful monitoring of blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment could contribute to reducing the consequences of blood pressure variations in the elderly.

:ok:

Mac

[frostbite]

Thanks for that Mac!

Maybe not quite as daft as I thought.

[gingernut]

There are several factors which may influence the reading slightly, including cold, and wanting to pee.

A "one off" high reading is unlikely to worry the quack too much. Susatined elevated readings may warrant some action.

[Pace]

Gingernut

Just incase you wonder I have removed the thread on drugs drugs and more drugs myself as I didnt feel its reception was what I intended.

Nevertheless thanks for the link to HBP stats which was very interesting and gave a good insight into the motivations as well as cost considerations in various drug treatments.

Pace

[GANNET FAN]

Frostbite, you might want to check with your GP about the possibility of you having Raynaud's disease. I too have blood pressure controlled by blockers but have always had this disease which is not as gruesome as it sounds. It just means your hands very very quickly lose circulation and that is boring!
My GP recommended placing my thumb in the palm of one hand and pushing the blood up to the fingers. It works perfectly but her indoors prefers not to look! Alternatively put your hands in a basinfull of hot water. That works too unless you suffer from chillblains.

[gingernut]

Gingernut

Just incase you wonder I have removed the thread on drugs drugs and more drugs myself as I didnt feel its reception was what I intended.

No probs. Sometimes we do appear a little paternalistic.

Hypertension is quite a challenge in practice-in effect we're asking well people to take a chemical, which may make them feel unwell.

Which is why we have to be sure about the evidence.

[frostbite]

unless you suffer from chillblains


Quite severely, and early on! Usually round September/October my fingers on my right hand start to go a bit purple. Toes likewise.

I used to take Pernivit but someone decided it had to be withdrawn from sale!

[gingernut]

Raynaud's syndrome - General Practice Notebook (http://gpnotebook.com/simplepage.cfm?ID=1449853005)

any use?:)

[C-N]

how many deg'C is cold? i mean i usually felt pain in my knees and joints when the temp drops to 12'C or below.