3 most frequently asked questions about diastolic blood pressure

1.What caused diastolic blood pressure to suddenly rise? 

The possible reasons for the sudden rise in diastolic blood pressure are that it may be due to stress reflexes, that is, sudden mental stress, poor rest, and increased heart rate.

Diastolic pressure is when the human heart diastolic, arterial blood vessels elastic retraction, the pressure generated is called diastolic pressure, also called low pressure. When the heart is diastolic, the aortic pressure drops, and at the end of cardiac diastole the arterial blood pressure is at its lowest value called diastolic, the normal diastolic pressure in adults is <90Mmhg (12Kpa), some people subjectively feel dizzy, chest discomfort, and measure high diastolic pressure, which is due to increased sympathetic nerve activity and increased peripheral vascular resistance. It is an early stage of hypertension, and simple diastolic hypertension should still not be ignored, because, with the prolongation of the disease, simple diastolic hypertension can be transformed into classical hypertension. It may even progress to pure systolic hypertension.

The mechanisms of diastolic blood pressure are divided into two main categories: 

• first, impaired energy-consuming processes of calcium ion recycling into the sarcoplasmic reticulum and pumping out of the extracellular space when energy supply is inadequate, resulting in active diastolic dysfunction。

• second, impaired compliance and filling of the ventricular muscle. When these two types of abnormalities occur, elevated diastolic blood pressure can occur, mainly in the early stages of cardiac insufficiency in coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. Severe cases are seen in restrictive cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, etc.

2.Why is my diastolic blood pressure low?

Low diastolic blood pressure is associated with many factors, such as a patient's heart valve closure insufficiency or the use of antihypertensive medication, which causes a drop in blood pressure and an increase in pulse pressure difference. Low diastolic blood pressure can easily lead to insufficient perfusion of the heart arteries and can easily cause problems such as dizziness.

Physiologically low diastolic blood pressure is also common in clinical practice and is related to family genetics and the patient's physical condition. 

It has little impact on the patient's health and life expectancy, so you don't need to worry too much about this condition and no special treatment is needed. 

If you are uncomfortable due to physiologically low diastolic blood pressure, you can take various complementary treatments and physical exercises to keep your blood pressure at a normal level. 

If patients often feel dizziness, headache, chest tightness, easy fatigue as well as body swelling and obvious weight gain within a short period, most of these conditions are pathological and should be promptly examined at a hospital to find out the cause for timely treatment.

The blood supply to the heart itself is borne by the coronary arteries, and the blood volume perfused by the coronary arteries needs to rely on the help of diastolic pressure. When the diastolic pressure is lower than 60 mmHg, the blood supply to the heart muscle is reduced by 1/3, which can seriously cause myocardial ischemia, angina pectoris, and even myocardial infarction. Excessively low diastolic blood pressure at the same systolic blood pressure level increases the risk of myocardial infarction and increases mortality.

Blood pressure measurement is affected by many factors, such as emotional stress and tension, which can affect the value. Blood pressure is considered hypertensive if it is detected at or above 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic at least three times under quiet and awake conditions using standard measurement methods; a blood pressure below 90/60 mmHg is called hypotension. 

You should pay attention to low diastolic blood pressure, especially in middle-aged and elderly people who have low diastolic blood pressure due to pathological reasons, and should promptly seek medical control and participate in physical exercise appropriately.

3.Does anxiety raise diastolic blood pressure?

Symptoms of anxiety or anxiety disorders can lead to elevated and fluctuating blood pressure, which is a manifestation of the somatization of mental illness. That is, the presence of a state of anxiety leads to a state of sympathetic excitability that is significantly elevated.

In this case, the blood pressure is affected by sympathetic excitability, resulting in vasoconstriction and increased heart rate, leading to a significant increase in blood pressure, and such a state can fluctuate greatly according to emotions, resulting in high and low blood pressure. If the anxiety is relieved by active medication or psychological treatment, the blood pressure can be quickly restored to a normal level.