Neurally Mediated Hypotension has been closely linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a condition in which patients experience a rapid pulse, combined with low blood pressure causing extreme fatigue, fainting and blackouts. The symptoms are especially acute when a patient is standing in an upright position. It is unknown exactly why or how the condition occurs, though doctors postulate that a failed reflex between the heart and the brain may be to blame.
Symptoms
The primary symptoms of neurally mediated hypotension are a quickening of the heart rate and a lowering of the blood pressure. The effects come on suddenly, often causing dizziness, sweating, weakness of the limbs and a light-headed feeling. Fainting, passing out and blacking out are also common symptoms.
Treatment
There is no known cure for neurally mediated hypotension, but several treatments have proven effective. Not all treatments work for all patients, and each patient needs to find out which treatment suits him best. The most common treatments involve medications that prevent the slowing of the heart and that increase blood pressure. Increased sodium intake is also commonly used. Many treatment plans now use fludrocortisone (florinef), a drug that aids in sodium retension.
How the Body is Affected
In cases of neurally mediated hypotension, the brain, digestive system and skin organ simply do not receive enough blood flow to properly function. Because blood is not providing the body with oxygen quickly enough, pain activators, indigestion and fainting or blackouts can occur, especially if a patient is standing in an upright position that puts more stress on the circulatory system.
Possible Causes
Research indicates that a reflex action between the brain and the heart fails in instances of neurally mediated hypotension. When patients are in a standing position, the reflex fails to provide enough blood to the ventricles of the heart, causing a steep drop in blood pressure. Some doctors postulate that neurally mediated hypotension patients have blood pool excessively in their limbs, delivering an insufficient amount of blood to the heart to circulate through the body. It is not known if the condition is hereditary.
Diagnosis
Neurally mediated hypotension is diagnosed by a table tilting test. Doctors use the test to monitor any abnormalities of the fainting reflex caused by the failure of the reflex between heart and brain to raise blood pressure. If the patient's blood pressure drops while at the same time their pulse increases, they are determined to have the condition.
Tags: blood pressure, mediated hypotension, neurally mediated, neurally mediated hypotension, between heart