Low blood pressure

For a lay person:

Low blood pressure is usually harmless, but if it falls suddenly, especially on standing, it can cause dizziness, light-headedness and fainting.

For a trained medical person:

Symptomatic hypotension includes orthostatic hypotension (from dehydration, drugs, autonomic failure) and reflex syncope. Assessment includes lying and standing blood pressure and a medication review.

In Chinese medicine:

Flaws and Sionneau's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Spleen Qi Deficiency; Qi and yin deficiency; Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency; Spleen deficiency mixed with dampness; Q ideficiency and blood stasis. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Get emergency care for fainting with chest pain, palpitations or breathlessness.