Narrow Pulse Pressure

Blood pressure refers to the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the blood vessels. Blood pressure is calculated by measuring the pressure the circulating blood exerts on the walls of blood vessels during diastole and systole. Diastole and systole are the two phases of the cardiac cycle. The pressure exerted by blood during a diastole and a systole is referred to as diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure respectively. In case of adults, blood pressure reading is considered to be normal at 120/80 mmHg. In medical terminology, the difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure is referred to as the pulse pressure. Healthy individuals who have a systolic pressure of 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg have a pulse pressure of 40 mmHg. The pulse pressure would obviously vary for those who have an abnormal blood pressure. In this article, we will look into the causes of narrow pulse pressure.

Clinical Significance of Pulse Pressure

The cardiac cycle refers to the sequence of events that take place when the heart beats. Systole and diastole refer to the two phases of the cardiac activity. The pressure that is exerted by blood during the systole, which is the phase during which the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood, is called systolic blood pressure. The pressure exerted by the blood during the phase when the heart relaxes and gets filled with blood is called diastolic blood pressure. When the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure becomes quite low, one is said to have a narrow or low pulse pressure. A pulse pressure below 25 is considered to be quite low. Though there could be variations in the pulse pressure of healthy individuals when they indulge in strenuous physical activities, the pulse pressure reverts to normal after some time. The resting pulse pressure, which is the pulse pressure when one is sitting or not indulging in any significant physical activity, should neither be too low nor too high. If the pulse pressure continues to be remain low, then it would be best to get a thorough medical checkup done. Persistently low pulse pressure could be a sign of certain serious medical conditions. One must therefore keep a tab on one's blood pressure. If you are suffering from high blood pressure or low blood pressure, you need to look into your lifestyle and make some changes soon.

What Causes Low Pulse Pressure?

Generally an increase in the diastolic blood pressure or a decrease in the systolic blood pressure causes low pulse pressure. Medical conditions that cause abnormal blood pressure could be responsible for causing low pulse pressure. The symptoms that one may experience will vary depending on the severity of the medical condition that may be affecting the blood pressure. Sometimes, loss of blood due to an injury could also affect one's pulse pressure. Besides hypovolemic shock caused due to low blood volume, heart valve disorders could also lead to low pulse pressure. Aortic stenosis is one such condition that is caused due to the narrowing of the aortic valve. Aortic valve is a valve that controls the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta and to the other parts of the body. When the aortic valve becomes constricted, sufficient amounts of blood is unable to leave the left ventricle during the systole. This causes lowering of aortic pressure during systole.

Pulse pressure may also become low due to mitral stenosis. Mitral stenosis is characterized by the narrowing of the mitral valve. Mitral valve is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle. When one is affected by mitral stenosis, the blood that moves from the left atrium to the left ventricle during the diastole, is unable to pass freely due to the constricted mitral valve, This leads to accumulation of blood in the left atrium thereby increasing the diastolic pressure.

Besides aortic or mitral stenosis, another condition that might lower the pulse pressure is cardiac tamponade. This condition is characterized by the compression of the heart due to accumulation of blood in the space between the heart muscle and the pericardium (sac-like covering that encloses the heart). Constrictive pericarditis refers to the long-term inflammation of the pericardium. It is characterized by scarring and loss of elasticity of the pericardium. It can lead to low pulse pressure.

Other medical conditions that could lead to low pulse pressure include pericardial effusion (accumulation of excessive amounts of fluid in the pericardial cavity), ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity) and tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat). On the other hand, pulse pressure may get elevated due to conditions such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), aortic regurgitation, anemia, aortic dissection or hyperthyroidism.

Treatment Options for Low Pulse Pressure

An abnormal pulse pressure cannot be the sole factor while diagnosing one's medical condition. This is due to the fact that a person with an abnormal blood pressure of 140/100 mmHg and a person with an ideal blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg will both have the pulse pressure of 40. So, pulse pressure readings cannot be taken in isolation for the purposes of diagnosing and chalking out a treatment plan. An abnormal pulse pressure basically arises due to the fluctuations in one's blood pressure. Since variations in the blood pressure and pulse pressure could be caused due to various medical conditions, a timely identification of the underlying disease becomes extremely important. Treating the underlying disease that is responsible for the fluctuations in the blood pressure will therefore help in bringing the pulse pressure back to normal. Though the treatment of shock, valve disorders, cardiac tamponade, congestive heart failure or a heart attack might involve hospitalization, drug therapy may suffice in case of minor ailments. Those who are suffering from abnormal blood pressure can also check out the alternative healing therapies. Making certain lifestyle-related changes will also prove beneficial. Following a healthy diet and an exercise regime will surely help. Managing stress will also help in normalizing the blood pressure to a great extent.

This was all about the causes of low pulse pressure. A narrow pulse pressure indicates a poorly functioning heart. So, if your blood pressure readings are consistently low or high, you must seek medical assistance at the earliest.