Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted by the flow of the blood on the arterial walls when the heart is pumping. The blood pressure is considered to be low if the reading is 90/60 mmHg or lower, where 90 mmHg is the systolic pressure, and 60mmHg is the diastolic pressure. A systole occurs when the heart contracts and beats, thereby pumping blood, and a diastole is the event between two beats when the heart relaxes.

Hypotension can be caused due to many reasons, one of the main being lack of proper nutrition. Lack of vitamin B-12 is a major cause of hypotension because it causes anemia, a state where not enough red blood cells are produced, resulting in a deficiency of blood. However, lack of most other Vitamin B complexes and Vitamin C can give rise to hypotension. Lack of folate is also a cause of low blood pressure.

The symptoms of hypotension are easily recognizable. They are dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred sight or tunneled vision, fainting, and in extreme cases shock.

Hypotension is not a disease, but rather the symptom of one. For example, hypotension due to a lack of proper nutrients in diet is the symptom of malnutrition – a chronic disease.