- With Mayo Clinic emeritus hypertension specialist
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Sheldon Sheps, M.D.
Dr. Sheldon Sheps, emeritus professor of medicine and former chair of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1960.
Dr. Sheps, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, is board certified in internal medicine and specializes in hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases. He developed a multidisciplinary approach with specially trained nurses, dietitians, technicians and educators to help form a team approach to the treatment of patients with abnormal blood pressure.
"I have always believed in involving the patient and family in their health care," Dr. Sheps says. "I have asked for their understanding of the illness and issues and for participation in decisions. The Web is a natural extension of that, and now many more people can be informed."
Dr. Sheps chaired the sixth working group, and he participated in the fourth, fifth and seventh groups that developed the then-latest guidelines for hypertension under the auspices of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). He helped write the latest American Heart Association (AHA) report on blood pressure measurement. He chaired an AHA group that produced an online accreditation for blood pressure measurement for health professionals.
Dr. Sheps has co-authored books, newsletters, CD-ROMs and other Mayo Clinic health information material. He joined Mayo Clinic's Web team in 1998. He was medical editor-in-chief of both editions of the "Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure" book; the last edition was published in 2003. He was also medical editor-in-chief of "Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure," published in 2008.
In addition, Dr. Sheps was section editor for each of the first three editions of "Hypertension Primer" for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Sheps was also chairman of the Science Base Subcommittee and the National High Blood Pressure Education Program, and he was a consultant to the Hypertension Initiative of the World Health Organization. In 1997, he was honored with the Individual Achievement Award on the 25th anniversary of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program of NHLBI. In 2009, he was honored as a Distinguished Mayo Alumnus.
Definition (3)
- Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?
- Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
- White-coat hypertension: When blood pressure rises at the doctor's office
Risk factors (2)
- Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
- Menopause and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
Symptoms (1)
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Causes (5)
- Caffeine: How does it affect blood pressure?
- Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
- Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?
- see all in Causes
Complications (1)
- Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
Treatments and drugs (7)
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- Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (11)
- Weightlifting: Bad for your blood pressure?
- Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
- Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (2)
- L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
- Do infrared saunas have any health benefits?
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Question
Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
Can cold weather or seasonal changes in weather affect blood pressure?
Answer
from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Blood pressure generally is higher in the winter and lower in the summer. That's because low temperatures cause your blood vessels to narrow — which increases blood pressure because more pressure is needed to force blood through your narrowed veins and arteries.
In addition to cold weather, blood pressure may also be affected by a sudden change in weather patterns, such as a weather front or a storm. Your body — and blood vessels — may react to abrupt changes in humidity, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover or wind in much the same way it reacts to cold. These weather-related variations in blood pressure are more common in people age 65 and older.
Other seasonal causes of higher blood pressure include weight gain and decreased physical activity in winter. If you have high blood pressure already, continue to monitor your blood pressure readings as the seasons change and talk to your doctor. Your doctor may recommend changing the dose of your blood pressure medication or switching to another medication. Don't make any changes to your medications without talking to your doctor.
If you have questions about how weather may affect your blood pressure, ask your doctor.
Next questionWhite-coat hypertension: When blood pressure rises at the doctor's office
- Morabito M, et al. A synoptic approach to weather conditions discloses a relationship with ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensives. American Journal of Hypertension. 2008;21:748.
- Androgu HE. Hypertension. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed Jan. 16, 2012.
- Sheps SG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 18, 2012.
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