- With Mayo Clinic emeritus hypertension specialist
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
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Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Dr. Sheldon Sheps, emeritus professor of medicine and former chair of the Hypertension Division 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," he 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 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. He has co-authored books, newsletters, CD-ROMs and other Mayo Clinic health information material and 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.
He 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, National High Blood Pressure Education Program, and 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.
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Question
Blood pressure: Is it affected by weather?
Can weather affect blood pressure? I've noticed that my blood pressure is harder to control in the winter.
Answer
from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Yes, weather can affect blood pressure. Blood pressure generally is higher in the winter and lower in the summer. Why? Cold temperatures cause your blood vessels to narrow (constrict) — which increases blood pressure because more pressure is needed to force blood through a narrower space. Other possible causes of higher blood pressure are weight gain and decreased physical activity in winter.
However, it doesn't take a big cold snap to raise blood pressure. Seasonal blood pressure changes also are found in climates where temperatures may change only a few degrees from summer to winter. In fact, a five-year analysis of the electronic health records of 444,000 adults with high blood pressure in the United States and its territories found that high blood pressure was less controlled in winter than in summer in all cities, from Anchorage, Alaska, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The implication from such studies is that it may be necessary to adjust high blood pressure medications in some people to continue to control blood pressure in different seasons.
If you have questions about how weather may affect your blood pressure, consult your doctor.
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