With the Fall season quickly approaching, more people are starting to make travel plans for the holidays. Traveling, especially air travel can be stressful in itself, but if you are living with high blood pressure, it can be even more nerve-racking. Flying in high altitudes, even in a pressurized aircraft cabin, can pose an increased risk of hypoxia for people with hypertension. Hypoxia occurs when the body doesn’t have enough oxygen, which can result in swelling, blood clots, and damage to your organs. However, having high blood pressure shouldn’t stop you from airplane travel. Learn about some precautions you can take to help ensure a successful trip.
Talk to Your Doctor Before Your Trip
Before heading off for vacation, it’s important to talk to your doctor about your travel plans—especially if you struggle to control your high blood pressure. Your doctor will be able to do a thorough evaluation and determine whether you are okay to fly. If your doctor thinks it’s unsafe to fly, you may be able to discuss a better time to travel or alter your plans slightly.
Know Your Numbers
It’s important to measure your systolic and diastolic blood pressure before your trip and make sure you’re cognizant of your numbers while traveling. According to the American Heart Association, blood pressure is classified as:
Normal when systolic pressure is below 120 and diastolic pressure is below 80 mmHg.
Prehypertension when systolic pressure is 120-139 or diastolic pressure is 80-89 mmHg.
Hypertension when systolic pressure is above 140 or diastolic pressure is above 90 mmHg.
Know the Symptoms
Another important factor is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of hypertension. While high blood pressure doesn’t always have noticeable symptoms, these are some things to look for:
Fainting
Headache
Persistent aches and pains
Shortness of breath
Exhaustion
Travel Insurance
If you or someone you are traveling with has high blood pressure, consider safeguarding your trip with travel insurance. When purchasing insurance, declare your high blood pressure as a pre-existing medical condition. This will ensure that you are covered if anything happens and you need to cancel your trip or seek medical attention.
Reduce Your Risk
If you are someone who worries about traveling with high blood pressure and you haven’t found an effective, long-term solution through medications, diet, or lifestyle modifications, you may want to consider alternative therapies.
The CONTROL HTN-2 Clinical Trial from Rox Medical can help individuals with uncontrolled hypertension see a decrease in their blood pressure. This alternative therapy is designed to study the effectiveness of the ROX Coupler, a dime-sized stent placed in the upper thigh through a minimally invasive procedure that creates a small passageway from the artery to the vein. This allows high-pressured blood from the iliac artery to flow into the lower-pressured iliac vein in your pelvis. By shifting a modest amount of arterial blood flow to the venous system, blood pressure decreases.
The risk factors of hypertension are too extensive to ignore. And while you need to take precautions before traveling, we believe that high blood pressure shouldn’t keep you from exploring or visiting friends and family. If you experience uncontrolled hypertension that hasn’t responded to standard treatment options, the CONTROL HTN-2 may be able to provide the support you need so you can continue to live life as you want.