News - Hypertension Week of Feb. 9, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 06

Hypertensives Should Never Use Jacuzzis

Patients with high blood pressure should avoid Jacuzzis because they could lose a substantial amount of blood if they suffer an injury, according to a German doctor.

"Whirlpools are a potential health risk for some patients," Dr. Lutz Liefeldt told BBC News Online.

"If a patient has high blood pressure, there is high blood pressure in their blood vessels throughout the body," said Liefeldt. "This means that even small injuries in blood vessels can produce substantial bleeding."

In a letter to the Lancet, Liefeldt and some of his colleagues at Charite University Hospital in Berlin highlighted the case of a 36-year-old man in Germany who almost died of internal bleeding after the water pressure from a Jacuzzi injured one of his kidneys.

Althought the man had kidney disease and not high blood pressure, Liefeldt said the warning extends to not only those with renal problems, but also hypertension.

Many public places that offer jacuzzis to their guests already advise people with high blood pressure or pregnant women not to use them, according to the BBC.

BBC Online