Question about being sick and my Blood pressure - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

Sunshine797 · 02-08-2009, 09:42 AM

I have been treated for high blood pressure for about a year now although I've run high since I was a kid. My cardiologist has me on Diovan and Metropolol. I am also being treated for General Anxiety Disorder which I have had for about 2 months now. I've had the ECG's, the 24 hr monitor, a stress test and a sonogram. All came back good, although I have an enlarged heart which I knew about already. I even had blood work done and came out good (had liver, kidneys, thyroid and such checked). I am not diabetic or hypoglycemic either. Since my Anxiety, I've gone to the doctors thinking I have everything under the sun-I turned into a hypochondriac.

I tend to run in the 130's/80, sometimes it'll go up higher when I am nervous. About two weeks ago I had a panic attack and ran to the docs and they took my BP and it spiked VERY high (Higher then I ever saw) and they told me it was prob due to the anxiety attack I had earlier as they have seen it higher with panic attacks. After an hour they took it again and it was 126/80, the lowest and best I have ever seen.

Anyway, last week I came down with a really bad cold, I'm talking severe congestion and coughing all the time. I caught this coming right off of my panic attacks so my body never got a chance to relax. The doctor gave me antibiotics, but my blood pressure was running higher then normal. Since then I have been checking it at home and I seem to be running about 140/90 to 145/88, even got a reading of 129/90 (at one point it said 162/113-but I dunno if I was worried when I took it or the machine gave a bad reading-This machine give me nothing but trouble. My mom is getting me a new one, the kind she uses) . 140/90 is a little high for me, at least I think it is. Now I'm still sick, I'm still a little congested but it's much better then what it was.

My question is, coming down with such a bad cold-can that raise your blood pressure up? I would think being sick is escalating my anxiety a little without me knowing it, in turn bringing up my BP. That and lately I have been worried about it. In fact last night I had a few dreams about taking my BP and it being high.

flowergirl2day · 02-09-2009, 09:27 PM

Hi Sunshine,

Quote:

My question is, coming down with such a bad cold-can that raise your blood pressure up? I would think being sick is escalating my anxiety a little without me knowing it, in turn bringing up my BP. That and lately I have been worried about it.

I hope you are feeling better now! The chances are your blood pressure has returned to normal by now.

Blood pressure elevations, heart and respiratory rate increases and altered metabolic responses are all signs or consequences of acute pain. Increases in blood pressure are a result of an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Acute pain causes a surge of adrenalin. This results in a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. When the body detects a threat, it pulls the blood away from the skin and limbs to the heart, lungs and kidneys. The purpose is to increase the amount of oxygen and circulating volume available to promote healing. The heart and lungs have to work harder to handle the increased workload, which is why the heart and respiratory rates can also increase. Everything eventually returns to normal levels. This type of blood pressure elevation is usually not treated. In contrast, chronic pain does not have a noticable effect on blood pressure.
Pain, anxiety, stress and depression all cause swings in blood pressure. A combination of factors could be responsible for your blood pressure elevations.

Good luck with your blood pressure control!
flowergirl