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What Causes Increased Heart Rate, Nausea And Uncontrollable Shaking?
Question: My boyfriend has had two similar "episodes" in the past two months. Both of them happened in the middle of the night-early morning. He has woken up shaky, cold, with headache, cough, nausea, throws up (a little), rapid breathing and pulse, and has a pressure in his chest. The first time he went to a minute clinic and they said upper respiratory infection but neither myself or our son got sick. The second time I went to the pharmacy and bought a blood pressure monitor and his blood pressure 6 hours afterwards was 144/89 with a pulse of 122. This was while resting in bed. He is 30 years old, XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Could this be hypertension related??
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that his symptoms do not seem to be related to high blood pressure.
The elevated blood pressure values in this condition are related to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This could also explain the elevated heart rate, nausea and shaking.
High blood pressure could also be related to convulsions or fever (muscular shaking can increase heart rate and blood pressure).
From the other hand with a single value of high blood pressure we can not come into any conclusions.
Did you measure his body temperature during these episodes?
Another possible disorder underlying this clinical scenario could be a sleep disorder, like nightmares.
I recommend consulting with his doctor for a physical exam and performing some tests:
- a resting ECG
- a chest X ray study
- complete blood count
- inflammation tests (PCR, sedimentation rate)
- blood electrolytes
- kidney and liver function tests
- fasting glucose
- thyroid hormone levels for possible thyroid dysfunction
- cortisol and aldosteron plasma levels for adrenal gland dysfunction
Meanwhile, I recommend you to closely monitor his blood pressure values frequently during the day (in sitting position, after 10 minutes of total relax), write them down and show them to his doctor.
If his blood pressure values are above 140/85 mmHg most of the time he may need to start anti-hypertensive therapy. Further investigations for the possible cause may be needed.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask any other questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that his symptoms do not seem to be related to high blood pressure.
The elevated blood pressure values in this condition are related to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This could also explain the elevated heart rate, nausea and shaking.
High blood pressure could also be related to convulsions or fever (muscular shaking can increase heart rate and blood pressure).
From the other hand with a single value of high blood pressure we can not come into any conclusions.
Did you measure his body temperature during these episodes?
Another possible disorder underlying this clinical scenario could be a sleep disorder, like nightmares.
I recommend consulting with his doctor for a physical exam and performing some tests:
- a resting ECG
- a chest X ray study
- complete blood count
- inflammation tests (PCR, sedimentation rate)
- blood electrolytes
- kidney and liver function tests
- fasting glucose
- thyroid hormone levels for possible thyroid dysfunction
- cortisol and aldosteron plasma levels for adrenal gland dysfunction
Meanwhile, I recommend you to closely monitor his blood pressure values frequently during the day (in sitting position, after 10 minutes of total relax), write them down and show them to his doctor.
If his blood pressure values are above 140/85 mmHg most of the time he may need to start anti-hypertensive therapy. Further investigations for the possible cause may be needed.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask any other questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
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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