Low Blood Pressure

Summary

You’ve probably heard that high blood pressure is a problem. Sometimes blood pressure that is too low can also cause problems.

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually they’re written one above or before the other, such as 120/80. If your blood pressure reading is 90/60 or lower, you have low blood pressure.

Some people have low blood pressure all the time. They have no symptoms and their low readings are normal for them. In other people, blood pressure drops below normal because of a medical condition or certain medicines. Some people may have symptoms of low blood pressure when standing up too quickly. Low blood pressure is a problem only if it causes dizziness, fainting or in extreme cases, shock.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Diagnosis and Tests

• Arterial Catheterization American Thoracic Society
• Measuring Blood Pressure National Library of Medicine
• Tilt Table Test Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Encyclopedia

• Blood pressure Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatic ischemia Medical Encyclopedia

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypotension National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypotension, Orthostatic National Institutes of Health

Related Issues

• Conditions Related to Parkinson’s Parkinson’s Foundation
• Syncope (Fainting) American Heart Association

Older Adults

• Fainting (Syncope) AGS Health in Aging Foundation
• Postprandial Hypotension Merck & Co., Inc.

Patient Handouts

• Low blood pressure Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Specifics

• Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Orthostatic Hypotension National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• Orthostatic Hypotension (Postural Hypotension) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Genetics

• Orthostatic hypotension: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Journal Articles

• Low Blood Pressure