Patients with orthostatic hypotension are often treated in outpatient clinics. Most patients reported that they experienced dizziness when changing from lying down or squatting to standing, or after standing for too long, accompanied by unsteady standing, blurred vision, weakness, nausea and other discomforts. In severe cases, they even experienced syncope, which quickly improved after lying down. Patients can't help but ask: Does orthostatic hypotension matter? Can it be cured?
Orthostatic hypotension is also called " orthostatic hypotension ". The above symptoms are mainly caused by insufficient cerebral blood supply caused by insufficient perfusion of cerebral arteries. The elderly are more prone to orthostatic hypotension due to reduced neuromodulatory function, vascular sclerosis and reduced elasticity, and physical weakness. In particular, orthostatic hypotension is more likely to occur when induced by certain factors. Some elderly people often induce orthostatic hypotension when turning their head and neck. This may be related to the common carotid and vertebral arteriosclerosis or carotid sinus sensitivity in the elderly. Many elderly people suffer from a variety of basic diseases and may require different drug treatments, and some of these drugs may induce the occurrence of , hypotension and . Therefore, elderly people with underlying diseases that require different drug treatments should also pay attention to the occurrence of orthostatic hypotension.
For those patients with orthostatic hypotension who have no conscious symptoms and are accidentally found to have hypotension during physical examination, they generally do not need special treatment. They can just observe them closely and pay attention to changes in their condition. Most patients with orthostatic hypotension can find the cause or inducement, and then take corresponding measures according to the instructions of professional doctors in regular hospitals. Regardless of whether they have symptoms or not, patients should go to a regular hospital for treatment in time and cannot leave it alone to avoid accidents.
In addition to corresponding treatment of the cause or symptoms, patients should also pay attention to the following matters in daily life:
■ Develop good eating habits, reasonably match meals, ensure comprehensive and adequate nutrient intake, ensure good nutritional status, and do not drink or smoke.
■ Arrange your work and rest system reasonably to ensure adequate sleep time and avoid fatigue.
■ Exercise, engage in appropriate sports, and enhance your physical fitness.
■ Elderly people should move slowly when changing positions and standing, and make transitional movements when changing positions, that is, from lying to sitting, and from sitting to standing. When getting up, it is best to sit up for a while, do some slight limb activities, and then get out of bed to stand. You should pay special attention when getting up in the morning and at night to urinate, so as to avoid the occurrence of orthostatic hypotension. In daily life, you should try to avoid standing for long periods of time.
■ Many drugs taken by elderly patients, such as antihypertensive drugs, sedatives and hypnotics, vasodilators, diuretics, α-blockers for the treatment of prostatic hypertrophy, etc., are closely related to the occurrence of orthostatic hypotension. Elderly people taking these drugs should pay special attention to preventing the occurrence of orthostatic hypotension.
Lu Ming (Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Geriatrics, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University)
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