Sun, Aug-15-04, 12:17
|
|
Forum Founder
Posts: 37,284
|
|
Plan: LC, GF
Stats: 241/185/140
BF:
Progress: 55%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
|
|
Another possibility is Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH) ... or low blood pressure caused by a miscommunication between the brain/nerves and the blood vessels of the lower body. This results in blood pooling in the lower body and not enough is getting up to the brain ... resulting in dizziness, weakness and even fainting spells.
Not a lot is known about NMH ... some scientists have studied it experimentally but alas there's no money to conduct a proper study for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal. The big drug companies aren't interested in sponsoring studies if they can't be guaranteed big profits for the discovery of a new expensive treatment
There is an excellent article about NMH posted at Our FM/CFS World. ...
Quote:
What you need to know about Neurally Mediated Hypotension and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Q: What is neurally mediated hypotension?
A: Neurally mediated hypotension (NMH) is a condition in which the body has difficulty regulating the blood pressure, especially when one is upright. There seems to be a misconnection between the brain and the nerves that control the blood pressure and heart rate. The reason is unknown.
Q: What happens in this condition?
A: People with this condition experience spells in which the blood pressure drops suddenly, leading to weakness, lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, vision disturbance and a feeling of fainting or near-fainting. During an episode, some people may get an irresisible urge to sit or lie down or a feeling that something bad may happen if they remain standing.
Q: What is the result of such a spell of low blood pressure?
A: A person suffering spells like this may have prolonged fatigue, weakness, and difficulty with thought, concentration and memory.
Q: Do only people with CFS get NMH?
A: No. It may be seen in people who have no fatigue. And NMH is not seen in all CFS cases, either.
Q: Is NMH the cause of CFS?
A: Some researchers have claimed that CFS is caused by NMH. However, many physicians who specialize in the treatment of CFS believe that this blood pressure regulation is simply another body system knocked out of kilter by CFS. Although it appears that many CFS patients have NMH, clearly there are many others that do not. More research is needed to clear up this point.
Q: How is NMH diagnosed?
A: Unfortunately, it cannot be diagnosed with simple blood pressure measurements. This condition is not the same as the common momentary dizziness that even many well people get when they arise from a chair or from a bed too quickly. The diagnosis requires a "tilt table test".
Q: What is a tilt table test?
A: Under the supervision of a physician, the patient rests motionlessly on a special table that slow tilts upward to a near-standing position. The patient then remains standing on a footrest with a safety belt in place. Blood pressure and pulse rates are continually monitored by a machine. A positive test occurs if the blood pressure falls along with a sudden drop in the pulse rate.
If this blood pressure does not fall during this phase of the test, a medication to raise the pulse rate is given intravenoulsy. If the blood pressure and the pulse rate fall during this stage of the test, then the test is considered positive as well.
|
You can read the rest of the article by clicking the link to the Our FM/CFS World site, above ..
It should be noted that one of the treatments (which is individualized from one person to the next) is the use of a beta-blocker drug which can "block" the miscommunication and prevent the sudden blood pressure drop. The problem with beta-blockers is that they are known to have a negative effect on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation So there's no magic bullet out there.
Anyway ... for those of you who've been told you're just imagining things, it might be worth printing out that article to show to your dr. !!
Doreen
|