How to Diagnose Hypotension

Hypotension, or low blood pressure, requires a diagnosis of the underlying cause to determine the severity of the patient's condition. If you have low blood pressure, you must see a doctor and get a thorough exam. Some people maintain a slightly lower blood pressure most of their lives, and it never affects their health. For others, it could mean a serious or life-threatening condition. Read on to learn how hypotension is diagnosed.

Instructions

• 1

  Draw blood samples for general health information and to determine the possible presence of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or anemia (low blood red blood cell count). Both conditions sometimes cause hypotension.

• 2

  Perform an EKG, electrocardiogram, to test for heart problems associated with low blood pressure. Done at a doctor's office, this procedure tests for irregular heart rhythm and also detects any structural problems with the heart.

• 3

  Give an echocardiogram. Much like an ultrasound used in pregnancy, an echocardiogram uses sound waves to create images of the heart and can reveal irregularities in heart valves and chambers.

• 4

  Conduct a stress test, which sometimes is an easier diagnostic tool to determine heart problems associated with hypotension. The patient must exercise to make his heart beat faster while tests are performed, such as an EKG, echocardiogram or your blood pressure check.

• 5

  Use a valsalva maneuver, a noninvasive procedure that checks the autonomic nervous system. It combines a series of deep breathing exercises with blood pressure and heart rate analysis.

• 6

  Render a tilt table test, which doctors typically perform for patients who have standing low blood pressure or who faint for no known reason. A typical diagnostic test for neurally mediated hypotension, the tilt table evaluates how a patient reacts to changes in position by having him lie on a table that moves from a vertical to horizontal position, thus simulating moving between a standing position and lying down.