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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThe risk factors for orthostatic hypotension include:
- Age. Most orthostatic hypotension occurs in those age 65 and older. As your body ages, the ability of special cells (baroreceptors) near your heart and neck arteries to regulate blood pressure can be slowed. Also, when you age, it may be harder for your heart to beat faster and compensate for drops in blood pressure.
- Medications. People who take certain medications, such as high blood pressure medication, have a greater risk of orthostatic hypotension. These include water pills (diuretics) and other drugs that treat high blood pressure; heart medications, such as beta blockers; drugs for Parkinson's disease; tricyclic antidepressants; sildenafil (Viagra), particularly in combination with nitroglycerin; narcotics; and alcohol. Other prescription and over-the-counter medications may cause low blood pressure when taken in combination with medications used to treat high blood pressure.
- Certain diseases. Parkinson's disease and some heart conditions put you at a greater risk of developing low blood pressure.
- Heat exposure. Being in a hot environment can cause you to sweat and, possibly, cause dehydration, which can lower your blood pressure and trigger orthostatic hypotension.
- Bed rest. If you have to stay in bed a long time because of an illness, you may become weak. When you try to stand up, you may experience orthostatic hypotension.
- Crossing your legs at the knees. Sitting for prolonged periods with your legs crossed at the knees (versus ankle across the knee, as men are prone to do) presses on veins, encouraging blood to pool in the leg.
- Pregnancy. Because a woman's circulatory system expands rapidly during pregnancy, blood pressure is likely to drop. This could cause blood pressure to drop enough to cause orthostatic hypotension when standing up quickly.
References
- Your high blood pressure questions answered: Low blood pressure. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3034848. Accessed April 14, 2009.
- Hypotension. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hyp/hyp_whatis.html. Accessed April 14, 2009.
- Sheps SG, ed. Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2008.
- Kaufmann H, et al. Mechanisms and causes of orthostatic and postprandial hypotension. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Kaufmann H, et al. Treatment of orthostatic and postprandial hypotension. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2009.
- Krediet CTP, et al. Management of initial orthostatic hypotension: lower body muscle tensing attenuates the transient arterial blood pressure decrease upon standing from squatting. Clinical Science. 2007;113:407.
