This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (116)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Scott L. Mader, MD; Karen R. Josephson, MPH; Laurence Z. Rubenstein, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1987;258(11):1511-1514.

Abstract
Postural hypotension (PH) has a prevalence of about 20% in most large studies of elderly individuals; however, these studies do not exclude subjects with diseases and medications known to cause PH. We sought to determine the prevalence of PH in healthy, community-living, elderly individuals in contrast to those with known risk factors for the condition. We measured supine and one-minute standing blood pressures in 300 independently living elderly persons who visited a senior citizen health screening program. Subjects were divided into two groups: those with known risk factors (n =175) and those without (n =125). The prevalence of PH (systolic decrease, 20 mm Hg) for the entire population was 10.7% In the group with risk factors, the prevalence was 13.7% (24/175), compared with 6.4% in the group without risk factors (8/125). Supine hypertension was associated with PH, but there was no relationship between the presence of PH and age, history of falls, symptoms on standing, or recent meal. These data suggest that PH is a relatively uncommon finding in healthy elderly, its prevalence is significantly related to risk factors, and its association with falls or symptoms may be less than previously reported.

(JAMA 1987;258:1511-1514)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University (Dr Mader); and the Department of Medicine and the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Sepulveda, Calif, and the UCLA Multicampus Division of Geriatric Medicine, Los Angeles (Ms Josephson and Dr Rubenstein).

Footnotes
Read in part before the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society, Chicago, Nov 18, 1986.

Reprint requests to Geriatric Care Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 2074 Abington Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106 (Dr Mader).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Orthostatic hypotension: framework of the syndrome
Naschitz and Rosner
Postgrad. Med. J. 2007;83:568-574.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of aging on baroreflex function in humans
Monahan
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 2007;293:R3-R12.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

High Prevalence of Postprandial and Orthostatic Hypotension Among Geriatric Patients Admitted to Dutch Hospitals
Vloet et al.
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2005;60:1271-1277.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Guidelines on Management (diagnosis and treatment) of syncope - update 2004: The Task Force on Syncope, European Society of Cardiology
Europace 2004;6:467-537.
FULL TEXT  

Orthostatic Hypotension in Acute Geriatric Ward: Is It a Consistent Finding?
Weiss et al.
Arch Intern Med 2002;162:2369-2374.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Special management needs of the elderly hypertensive patient
Elliott and McInnes
Journal of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System 2002;3:S25-S31.
 

Guidelines on management (diagnosis and treatment) of syncope
Task Force on Syncope, European Society of Cardiol et al.
Eur Heart J 2001;22:1256-1306.
ABSTRACT  

Variability of Blood Pressure Response to Orthostatism and Reproducibility of the Diagnosis of Orthostatic Hypotension in Elderly Subjects
Belmin et al.
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2000;55:667M-671.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Orthostatic Hypotension as a Risk Factor for Stroke : The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 1987-1996
Eigenbrodt et al.
Stroke 2000;31:2307-2313.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Diagnostic Yield and Development of a Neurocardiovascular Investigation Unit for Older Adults in a District Hospital
Allcock and O'Shea
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2000;55:458M-462.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Postural Hypotension and Postural Dizziness in Patients With Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes
Wu et al.
Arch Intern Med 1999;159:1350-1356.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Descriptive Epidemiology of Blood Pressure Response to Change in Body Position : The ARIC Study
Nardo et al.
Hypertension 1999;33:1123-1129.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Is This Patient Hypovolemic?
McGee et al.
JAMA 1999;281:1022-1029.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prognosis of Diastolic and Systolic Orthostatic Hypotension in Older Persons
Luukinen et al.
Arch Intern Med 1999;159:273-280.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Orthostatic Hypotension Predicts Mortality in Elderly Men : The Honolulu Heart Program
Masaki et al.
Circulation 1998;98:2290-2295.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Postural Dysregulation in Systolic Blood Pressure Is Associated With Worsened Scoring on Neurobehavioral Function Tests and Leukoaraiosis in the Older Elderly Living in a Community
Matsubayashi et al.
Stroke 1997;28:2169-2173.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Patterns of Orthostatic Blood Pressure Change and Their Clinical Correlates in a Frail, Elderly Population
Ooi et al.
JAMA 1997;277:1299-1304.
ABSTRACT  

Prevalence, Predisposing Factors, and Prognostic Importance of Postural Hypotension
Raiha et al.
Arch Intern Med 1995;155:930-935.
ABSTRACT  

Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly: Pathophysiology and Management
Mann
Arch Intern Med 1992;152:1977-1984.
ABSTRACT  

Postural Hypotension and Postural Dizziness in Elderly Women: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures
Ensrud et al.
Arch Intern Med 1992;152:1058-1064.
ABSTRACT  

Cardiovascular Responses to Phlebotomy and Sitting in Middle-aged and Elderly Subjects
Kuchel et al.
Arch Intern Med 1992;152:366-370.
ABSTRACT  

Effects of Meals and Time of Day on Postural Blood Pressure Responses in Young and Elderly Subjects
Mader
Arch Intern Med 1989;149:2757-2760.
ABSTRACT  

Hypertension in Elderly Patients
Applegate
ANN INTERN MED 1989;110:901-915.
ABSTRACT  

Postural Hypotension in the Elderly
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1988;1:56-57.