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Hypotension

Definition

Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure.

Description

The pressure of the blood in the arteries rises and falls as the heart and muscles handle demands of daily living, such as exercise, sleep and stress. Some healthy people have blood pressure well below the average for their age, even though they have a completely normal heart and blood vessels. This is often true of athletes who are in superior shape. The term "hypotension" is usually used only when blood pressure has fallen so far that enough blood can no longer reach the brain, causing dizziness and fainting.

— Carol A. Turkington



 
 
Dictionary: hy·po·ten·sion  ('pə-tĕn'shən) pronunciation
n.

Abnormally low blood pressure.


 

Condition in which blood pressure is abnormally low. It may result from reduced blood volume (e.g., from heavy bleeding or plasma loss after severe burns) or increased blood-vessel capacity (e.g., in syncope). Orthostatic hypotension — drop in blood pressure on standing — results from failure of the reflexes that contract muscles and constrict blood vessels in the legs to offset gravity as one rises. Hypotension is also a factor in poliomyelitis, shock, and barbiturate poisoning.

For more information on hypotension, visit Britannica.com.

 

Diminished tension; lowered blood pressure. In animals almost the only occurrence is in severe peripheral circulatory failure, especially traumatic, toxemic or anaphylactic shock.

  • postural h. — a slight fall in systolic blood pressure is normal upon rising. Abnormal postural hypotension involves a decrease in both systolic and diastolic pressures with changes in heart rate.
 
 

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Medical Encyclopedia. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more

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