Sudden change in baseline function of 94 year old

Posted by Laza on May 07, 1999 at 09:34:19
     My grandmother is 94 y/o and had been quite active i.e. walking, yoga until several weeks ago when she developed complaints of extreme tiredness, confining herself to bed for parts of the day.  Systolic BP has been around 170 with diastolics seemingly quite low i.e. 30 mm Hg.  She has been on Tenormin 50mg daily and Norvasc 5mg daily.  Her internist ascribes this change in her functioning to her age but we disagree.  In desperation we stopped her tenormin with modest improvement.  What could be causing this problem?  Thanks so much for your time and help.

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on May 09, 1999 at 19:41:02
Dear Laza
I do not know. Most likely the internist is correct, as she is very old and may be nearing the end of her life. Other possibilities include an occult infection. A blood pressure of the sort you describe can also be seen with a leaky aortic valve, but also in old people with hardening of the arteries. Stopping medicines like Tenormin abruptly without consulting her internist is dangerous.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.