Understanding Asthma and Blood Pressure

When your body has an asthma attack, it can affect your blood pressure. But that's not the only way the two conditions are related. The medications you take for each of these things sometimes mess with the care of the other.

During asthma episodes, even mild ones, your heart may pump faster. This is your body's way of making sure you have enough oxygen. But this can lead to spikes in blood pressure.

Beta-blockers lower blood pressure but can worsen asthma symptoms. By affecting your airways, they can make asthma treatments not work well. Common beta-blockers include atenolol, betaxolol, and metoprolol.

While they're a common high blood pressure treatment, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as enalapril and lisinopril, can give you a heavy cough if you have asthma. In rare cases, they can also make it hard for air to flow through your body.

Many people with asthma use inhalers, which have a type of medicine called corticosteroids. While inhalers can make breathing easier, they can also raise your blood pressure. Common corticosteroids include cortisone, hydrocortisone, and prednisone. If you take any of these, getting regular blood pressure checks from your doctor is a good idea.

Beta-2 agonists help your airways relax and open. These include formoterol, salbutamol, and vilanterol. But they can raise your blood pressure in rare cases.