Scleroderma

[Gran54]

Does any one know if high blood pressure is something that goes with scleroderma am on blood pressure meds losartan and nifedipine and for long time this has worked for me but last 2 weeks blood pressure readings have been 180 and 190 gp says monitor for a week thanks.

[cowhide]

unfortunately scleroderma can be associated with high blood pressure as the arteries stiffen. Obviously lots of people also have high blood pressure who do not have scleroderma!

[Sosie]

Depending on the type of sclerderma you have, be mindful of scleroderma renal crisis. This can be very serious & one of the symptoms is high blood pressure. Do you have a scleroderma consultant or specialist nurse you could contact for advice?

[Gran54 in reply to Sosie]

thanks for reply yes have a consultant i heard from her to day and am to increase my blood pressure meds my local gp's are no good they don't have a clue about autoimmune disorders.

[bertie203 in reply to Gran54]

My rheumatologist advised me to contact them immediately if I have raised blood pressure so they can do some kidney tests just in case.

[Intimeslikethese]

Yes. I monitor my BUN and creatinine levels when my bloodwork is done to insure my BP is not affecting my kidneys. I try to also have an adequate daily intake of water.

[Redwine53]

yes we are susceptible to high blood pressure with systemic scelerderma, my blood pressure went up about two years after diagnosis, though my husband had died recently. My blood pressure is fine now I am on Amlodipine . When I was diagnosed I was told to take my BP two to three times a week and if it was more than 140/100 for a few days to see my GP. I also have a blood test done every three months as I am on mycophenolate.

[Jaq1971]

I have cine sclerosis and had a stroke in November Durant to hypertension I have two different meds for this ramipril and nifedipine for raynaulds esphegus spasms and bp xxx

[OldTed60]

I have hypertension - not sure if it's related to my scleroderma but I think it probably is. It's well regulated most of the time with 100mg Losartan and regular Iloprost. I agree with Sosie - if it's suddenly changed for the worse like this it needs close observation.

[Midgebite21]

Hypertension is driven by so many variables (age, weight, lifestyle etc) it will be hard to pin it down to one factor but yes scleroderma can increase your chances of suffering from it as it affects the circulation.