Also called ‘postural hypotension’, orthostatic hypotension occurs when a person transfers from lying to sitting, or sitting to standing, and is a sudden drop (within 3 minutes of standing) in blood pressure (BP) causing the person to feel lightheaded, or even faint. It may also occur after 3 minutes.

Causes of Orthostatic Hypotension

Per Ringer and Lappin causes of orthostatic hypotension include:

• Neurogenic Causes: Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson-plus syndromes, Diabetes, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, amyloidosis, renal failure, autoimmune, rheumatological, and paraneoplastic conditions.
• Non-Neurogenic Causes: Volume depletion from anemia, dehydration, hemorrhage, or hyperglycemia; Cardiovasular diseases such as aortic stenosis, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, vascular stiffing, or arrhythmias; Other causes such as adrenal insufficiency, physical deconditioning, and aging.
• Either Mechanism: Medications, alcohol consumption, or idiopathic (no identified reason)

Symptoms may include becoming dizzy or lightheaded upon rising, becoming faint or weak, blurred vision, and even confusion.

Orthostatic hypotension is diagnosed by having your blood pressure taken in supine (lying on your back), in sitting, and once more while standing. If the systolic pressure (the top number of your BP) drops by 20 mmHg (20 points), or when the diastolic pressure (bottom number of your BP) drops by at least 10 mm Hg (10 points).

Ringer M, Lappin SL. Orthostatic Hypotension. [Updated 2023 May 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448192/