Disease states in which blood pressure is lowered

Hypertension can be ameliorated by certain concomitant disease states, especially those in which serum globulin is elevated. Blood pressure has been reduced in cases of cirrhosis of the liver, chronic alcoholism, congestive heart failure, arthritis, hypothyroidism, and myeloma. These clinical findings were confirmed experimentally when animals with various models of hypertension became normotensive after the development of a modest degree of liver damage with hyperglobulinemia. Other diseases, not associated with hyperglobulinemia, that can lower blood pressure are stroke, uremia, hyperparathyroidism, and malnutrition. When any of these diseases occur in hypertensive patients, their influence on blood pressure must be considered when determining treatment and prognosis.