Chest discomfort and high blood pressure

[kindaangrydude]

Hello,

I am a 21 year old male from India. And the question is not copied, it's actually what is bothering me!

For the past one year I've been suffering from a mild case of asthama, the reason for which could not be identified. In college, even when I smoked, it was never more than a cigarette in a week! But that is not the point so let me move on. Last year, in December, I was hospitalized after having a high fever for 2 days and after all the tests had been conducted, I was told it was a case of GERD. I had been having difficulty breathing normally prior to the hospitalization as well.

And more recently, I have been diagnosed with a high blood pressure. Till last week it shot upto around 150/120 and this week, it just shot up higher to 180/120!

I do not eat junk food, exercise regularly, control my salt intake. In short I eat nothing that could contribute to a high blood pressure other than coffee which I stopped taking last week as well.

Not only is the blood pressure at such an age becoming a worry, it's the breathing problem that continues too.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[sugarpea013]

Have you done a 24 hour urine test to check for adrenal gland tumor?

[Barbarella]

You need to see a Cardiologist and a Hypertension Specialist.  Do you suffer from anxiety/panic attacks?  That can raise your BP tremendously.  

Get yourself a home monitor and take it every day, keep a log of your BP readings and bring them to your doctor.

If they can't find a phycical cause for your high BP you might have to take BP meds.  180/120 is to high for a 21 yr old or anybody no matter what age.

[Alexander66]

I have high blood pressure.  I inherited it from my dad and mine has been up to 180/160.  My dads at one point climbed to 220/180!

When mine is high I can not catch my breathe right when I lay down at night.  I get a terrible ringing in my ears and have lots of headaches (especially in the back and top of my head).  I also have some chest pain with it and for some reason it feels as if I am weak in the chest (only way I can explain it).  I try to remember to look for these signs so I can catch it before it goes through the roof!!

I take a beta blocker and a water pill.  They have held my BP perfect for almost the past year.  The past few days it has climbed a bit to 149/105.  I am trying my best to get it down with less salt and stress and hoping not to have to go back to doctors.  I am giving it the weekend to return to normal or back I suppose I go.

Good luck to you.

[imcrazy2]

Go see a cardiologist, get a holter monitor, and an echo, if you haven't already.  Better to rule stuff out than to worry.

[kindaangrydude]

Thanks for the replies.

I had all my tests done last year in December. Everything was perfect. The creatinine levels in my blood were however very close to the upper limits for what the docs consider healthy. Is that a threat? Or a cause for the problem?

I will be going in again for all tests once again in a week.

And yes, I got my bp read in two different clinics. Always high :(

And it's not just getting it read, it's the symptoms. In the evening, there are moments when I feel my heart sinking all of a sudden and then after a few seconds the heart beat rises abnormally and I can "hear" my heart pumping in my ears, just like when you're in a fight or a similar tense situation. It's strange.

[sdp4314]

There could be several underlying reasons for your hypertension.  Have you had any testing done on your kidneys or adrenal glands?  Any heart abnormalties such as Mitral Valve Prolapse? You should check with your internist to rule out other possibilities.

[borninquisitive]

Have you looked up both primary and secondary reasons for hypertension?
Further, where was your BP read- doctor's office? If you don't have a BP monitor, I suggest you get one. I hear good reports about Omron (cuff version).