Hello

My boyfriend has high blood pressure and is very tired all the time. Is this normal?

J_9

It could be, but there could be other factors as well. There are way too many factors left out here, for instance:

His weight, is he obese?
His age.
His diet, high in LDL (bad fats), alcohol, etc
His meds if he is on any.
Exercise.
Sleep routine.

Just way too much left out to give accurate advice.

bkdaniels

Yes, this symptom is common in High Blood Pressure. It is one of the symptoms that appear later in the course of the disease and is more related to the underlying heart or arterial impairment.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) in itself is not fatal, but it weakens and destroys the arteries. The actual physicial cause of hypertension is in the arterioles, the tiny arteries that lead into the capillaries, where the blood delivers oxygen and neutrients to every cell and removes waste in to the veins.

When these arterioles (too small to be seen by the naked eye) contract, or clamp up for whatever reason, the heart must pump harder to force blood through. However, only a Physician can conduct frequent tests on a sphygmomanometer (blood pressure machine) to determine the amount of damage done.

Therefore, because high blood pressure is a major cause of heart ailments; it is a prime cause of kidney failure; and is the single most cause of cerebrovascular disorders that end in stroke, you should consult with your Physician. Early treatment of any contributing factor, such as kidney trouble or obesity, can mean the difference between a normal, reasonable longevity or a short and ailing life.

Hope this answers your question!

REFERENCE(S)

1. Ben Bielebel, 2006. High Blood Pressure

J_9

As I stated, there are also many underlying problems of which we do not know.

BKdaniels, As I understand you are in school to be an EMT. Please know that EMTs and RNs have different protocols. RNs are NOT allowed to diagnose by LAW, especially without knowing further medical history.

While your assessment and help is wonderful and totally appreciated, there may be underlying factors of which we are unaware. Any help we give we must give cautiously.

Many people come here INSTEAD of going to the doctor. If we give incorrect advice due to limited or inadequate information can be dangerous at best.

The symptoms of the OP could very well be due to HBP, but since we do not know the history and have not done a physical we cannot do any more than refer them to a physician for further evaluation.

Teresa Dominguez

I just recently found out that I have high blood pressure, and I am also always very tired.

chippers

high blood pressure is not normal but can be controlled by medication and life style changes. being tired can be the result of the uncontroled blood presure. your boyfriend will need to go to his doc for a cmplete work up. including family history and his present health history. even though hbp doesn't nessecarily have to be hereditary. there could be other fsctors that can triggar it. like being over weight, poor diet, and lack of exercise.
hbp can lead to kidney failure and stroke. your kidneys regulate your blood pressure and are often the first to be checked. diabetes can also contribute to high blood pressure because, with diabetes, the blod vessels narrow makijng it hard for the blood to circulate. the kidneys will rasie the blood pressure to force the blood thru the blood vessels.

I would have you boyfriend see a doctor for a work up. it could stress raising his blod pressure as well. but you won't know until he's seen by his doctor.

J_9

There are risk factors that are modifiable and unmodifiable with HTN (hypertension) otherwise known as high blood pressure or HBP.

The risks that are unmodifiable, meaning you cannot change them, are

*family history - parents, grandparent, or siblings
*Age
* Race

The risk factors that are modifiable, meaning you can change them, are

*Smoking
*Obesity and DM (Diabetes Mellitis)
*Sedentary lifestyle - couch potatoes, no exercise
* High sodium diet - cut out the salt
* High fat diet - quit the fast food
* Excessive alcohol intake - quit drinking
* Stress

I hope this clears things up for those of you who don't understand how family history and other factors relate to hypertension. Any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Source: Chapter 32 Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing.
Lecutre on 1/25/07 by Kelly Burg, RN, MSN, Associate Professor of Nursing.

There are also 2 types of HTN (high blood pressure) Primary and secondary.

Primary means that there is no known cause. Secondary means that it could be one or more of many causes, some of which are mentioned above, and others include, but are not limited to the following:

Kidney disease
Cushings Disease
Steroid use
Brain tumors
Pregnancy
Pheochromocytoma - a benign (not cancerous) tumor of the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland sits atop of the kidneys
Hormone replacement

Sorry BK, while cardiovascular disease is dangerous, health history may play a significant role in treating hypertension.

Assessment and Diagnosis includes a health history, physical exam, retinal exam, lab tests including urinalysis and blood chemistries, 12 lead EKG, chest x-ray, and renal studies.

Source is still Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Chapter 32.

Page 1030 in the Brunner Med-Surg text and I quote

"A complete history it obtained to assess for signs and symptoms that indicate target organ damage (ie, whether specific tissues are damaged by the elevated blood pressure). Such manifestations may include anginal pain; shortness of breath; alterations in speech, vision, or balance; nosebleeds; headaches, dizziness; or nocturia.

During the physical examination, the nurse must also pay specific attention to the rate, rhythm, and character of the apical and peripheral pulses to detect effects of hypertension on the heart and blood vessels. A thorough assessment can yield valuable information about the extent to which the hypertension has affected the body and about any other personal, social, or financial factors related to the condition. For example, some patients' ability to adhere to an antihypertensive medication regimen may be thwarted if they lack the financial resources to by the medication."

I hope this at least partially clears up why a history is necessary when making a diagnosis of HTN.

It just so happens that this is what we are focusing on in class this past week and next week. It will be on our first exam. Also, let me mention that I know about this as I have HTN too.

So, now we know that HTN is not only cardiovascular in nature, there are other factors that may lead to HTN as well, although it does severely compromise the cardiovascular tree.