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Suggest Treatment For Fluctuating Blood Pressure And Fatigue
Question: My elderly mother (age 80) has been having unstable blood pressure for at least 1 week with general fatigue (sleeping more than usual) and complaining of back soreness...like her ribs hurt. We took her to have EKG and blood work earlier this week, but doctor office closed and we do not know those test results. Should I take her to ER? Could h\she be having MI? Blood pressure ranging from 130/60 then spiking to 170/65.
Brief Answer:
anything is possible...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
with only back soreness as a symptom it's not easy to estimate the diagnosis. Back pain may indeed be a symptom of MI but most patients with back pain DO NOT have MI. Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common diagnoses.
Symptoms or signs of myocardial disease include concurrent chest pain or discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath, hypotension (more suggestive of MI than hypertension), arrhythmia, pallor, etc. Other sites of pain which may be associated with MI include the neck and lower jaw, the left shoulder, left arm and fourth and fifth fingers of the left hand and the upper abdomen. A history of smoking, diabetes and hyperlipidemia would be suggestive. Her age is very suggestive of course.
Other potential causes may include various conditions of the heart and the lungs which require investigation to prove or exclude. It would be better if a doctor assessed her clinical status.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information or if you'd like to provide more details to comment on.
Kind Regards!
anything is possible...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
with only back soreness as a symptom it's not easy to estimate the diagnosis. Back pain may indeed be a symptom of MI but most patients with back pain DO NOT have MI. Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common diagnoses.
Symptoms or signs of myocardial disease include concurrent chest pain or discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath, hypotension (more suggestive of MI than hypertension), arrhythmia, pallor, etc. Other sites of pain which may be associated with MI include the neck and lower jaw, the left shoulder, left arm and fourth and fifth fingers of the left hand and the upper abdomen. A history of smoking, diabetes and hyperlipidemia would be suggestive. Her age is very suggestive of course.
Other potential causes may include various conditions of the heart and the lungs which require investigation to prove or exclude. It would be better if a doctor assessed her clinical status.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information or if you'd like to provide more details to comment on.
Kind Regards!
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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