Recent advances in the treatment of orthostatic hypotension
Robertson, D.; Davis, T.L.; Robertson, D.
Neurology 45(4 Suppl. 5): S26-S32
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-3878 PMID: 7746370 Document Number: 442627
Orthostatic hypotension is a fall in blood pressure on standing that causes symptoms of dizziness, visual changes, and discomfort in the head and neck. The goal of treatment is the improvement of the patient's functional capacity, rather than a target blood pressure. For treatment to be successful, it must be individualized. Non-pharmalogic interventions include carefully managed exercise, scheduled activities, and monitoring of the environmental temperature. Agents such as fludrocortisone, midodrine, and epoetin alfa offer successful pharmacologic interventions. Although these measures ease the symptoms of orthostatic hypotension, current approaches neither reverse nor stabilize the disease process in autonomic disorders.