Height blood pressure. Chest pain now.

Thank you for writing about your father. The part that matters most here is the chest tightness. In a man with high blood pressure, chest tightness should not be put down to food or gas without a proper check, even if it has settled now. Tightness or heaviness in the chest can be the way the heart signals that it is not getting enough blood, and this can come and go before a bigger event. It may well turn out to be something minor, but it has to be ruled out properly. The salty taste is a separate issue. A change in taste is usually not caused by the heart or by BP itself. It can come from a dry mouth, acidity, some medicines, dental or gum problems, or a recent cold. Some BP tablets can alter taste too, so it is worth telling his doctor exactly which medicine he takes. If he has not been checked since this happened, he should see a cardiologist in person soon, ideally within the next day or two. The usual first steps are an ECG, a BP check, blood tests including sugar, cholesterol and kidney function, and an echocardiogram. Depending on those, the cardiologist may advise a treadmill test or another stress test. If the ECG at that visit comes out normal, please remember that a resting ECG can be misleadingly normal in some patients. It records only a few seconds of the heart at rest, so on its own it cannot rule out coronary artery disease. Until then, he should keep taking his BP medicine regularly and not stop or change it himself. A home BP record, morning and evening for a week, will help his doctor a lot.

See a cardiologist in person within 1 to 2 days for ECG, echo and blood tests, with a stress test if advised. Keep a home BP log until then.

If chest pain or tightness comes back and lasts more than 10 to 15 minutes, or comes with sweating, breathlessness or vomiting, take him to the nearest emergency straight away.