By Christine Haran
In a society that breeds tightly wound, type-A personalities, it's no surprise that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major health concern. But low blood pressure can also wreak havoc on one's health and ability to function. Blood pressure can bottom out for a variety of reasons, including massive blood loss, certain heart disorders, severe infection and from some drugs. And a low blood pressure condition known as orthostatic hypotension, which affects many older people—and some younger ones—often goes undiagnosed and untreated.
When most people stand up, their blood pressure rises to increase blood flow to the brain. But people with orthostatic hypotension experience a decline in blood pressure when they stand, or after periods of standing or walking. As a result, they feel dizzy and sometimes faint, and often risk hurting themselves during falls.
Below, Blair P. Grubb, MD, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, explains what causes hypotension and how people can learn to live with it.
