what can be wrong with a male 65 yearsold and his blood pressure is high was on 50 mil now on 100mils?

Question

my dad is 65 and has had a st jude mechanicalvalve placed about 15 years ago never had a heart attack or stroke or anything else he had a st jude put in because he had rumatic fever at a young age and this was a result of it he is on coumadin and a cholesterol med and a vitamin because he has a calcium buildup in his legg in june he went for a stress test and a echocardiogram drs said everything is fine but they cant get his pressure down hes going for alot of blood work tomorrow my question is and i dont want to sound stupid could he have kidney failure or would he know he eats like a horse and works 2 jobs but he does smoke i have been trying to get him to stop but its not working any advice i would appreciate thanks

Answer 1

there are other factors that can contribute to heart problems and it's not limited to blocked arteries alone (due to cholesterol build up).

2 other common cause of heart problems -- water retention (due to high sodium intake) and/or vasoconstriction.

your father you mentioned, smokes -- how long has he been smoking? has he been diagnosed with a lung problem before? if yes, then this can cause his blood vessels to constrict. think of it this way... let's say you are a water pump and you are pumping water through a hose. you're doing well, when all of a sudden, instead of pumping water through the normal hose, you pump the water through a SMALLER hose -- notice how much it is harder to pump? and also the pressure increases -- i am guessing that this could be the condition that your father is going through. just a guess... to find out -- he has to see a doctor and have tests done on him.

your question about kidney failure -- i don't think it's stupid at all. in fact, kidneys are also responsible for the circulation in our body.

don't stop at encouraging him to quit smoking. it's a good thing he lived up to be 65 years old. my grandfather died of a heart attack due to smoking and lung problems, he was only 51. he died before i was even born.

Answer 2

Puff i know exactly what you mean, my dad is as stubborn as yours is, and it's very hard for us to tell them what they KNOW is good for them and you don't get the speech "you Dr's think you know everything, my dad bla bla bla".

About his condition, very common where i am from (rheumatic fever) but keep in mind it's not really the end of the world, most ppl as age increases their blood pressure do also since your arteries are not as flexible as they use to, no only that but the fact that your dad smokes and has high cholesterol doesn't help at all

You are doing your job which is to remind him what he should do, you can't make him do things for his own good, you just have to love him as he is, like i do with my MULE-DAD

Answer 3

I work on an ambulance and I see people like this everyday. I have been asked by dozens of family how can I help them. Its hard to say but you cant. He is 65 years old let him do whatt he wants when he wants. He will pass away one day and you would want to know that he lived his life his not anybody else way. As long as he is happy doing wha he wants to do then let him be. I know its hard my grandfather is the same way......Hard headed.

Answer 4

Generally during old age we experience high blood pressure.This can be due to the heavy weight of the body, fatty deposits and heavy load of work.Moreover our thoughts play a great role in contrling the blood pressure.

Answer 5

hardening of the arteries from smoking