Sunday, July 20, 2025
spot_img

People who feel dizzy when they stand up likely to have dementia

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

People who feel dizzy or light-headed when they stand up may have an increased risk of developing dementia years later, according to a new study. The study has been published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The condition, called orthostatic hypotension, occurs when people experience a sudden drop in blood pressure when they stand up.

The study found the link with dementia only in people who have a drop in their systolic blood pressure, not in people with only a drop in their diastolic blood pressure or their blood pressure overall.

Systolic is the first, or top, number in a blood pressure reading and systolic orthostatic hypotension was defined as a drop of at least 15 mmHg after standing from a sitting position.

“People’s blood pressure when they move from sitting to standing should be monitored,” said study author Laure Rouch, Pharm.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco.

“It’s possible that controlling these blood pressure drops could be a promising way to help preserve people’s thinking and memory skills as they age.”

The study involved 2,131 people, who were an average age of 73 and did not have dementia when they enrolled.

Their blood pressure readings were taken at the start of the study and then one, three and five years later. A total of 15 percent had orthostatic hypotension, 9 percent had systolic orthostatic hypotension and 6 percent had diastolic orthostatic hypotension.

Over the next 12 years, the participants were evaluated to see if anyone developed dementia. A total of 462 people, or 22 percent, did develop the disease.

The people with systolic orthostatic hypotension were nearly 40 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who did not have the condition.

Fifty of the 192 with systolic orthostatic hypotension, or 26 percent, developed dementia, compared to 412 of the 1,939 people without it, or 21 percent.

When researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect dementia risk, such as diabetes, smoking and alcohol use, those with systolic orthostatic hypotension were 37 percent more likely to develop dementia.

The researchers also found that people whose sitting-to-standing systolic blood pressure readings changed the most from visit-to-visit were more likely to develop dementia years later than people whose readings were more stable.

The people were divided into three groups based on how much their readings changed over time.

A total of 24 percent of people in the group with the most fluctuation in systolic readings later developed dementia, compared to 19 percent of the people in the group with the least fluctuation.

When researchers adjusted for other factors affecting dementia risk, those in the highest group were 35 percent more likely to develop dementia than those in the lowest group.

Rouch noted that the study is observational and does not show cause and effect. It only shows an association between blood pressure readings and the development of dementia. Another limitation of the study was that the diagnosis of dementia was made without a distinction between Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. (ANI)

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi never attended all-party floor leaders’ meets in UPA’s 10 years: Amit Malviya

New Delhi, July 20 :BJP leader Amit Malviya on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party,...

CPI (Maoist) eastern regional bureau calls for shutdown; memorial events honouring ‘fallen leaders’

Patna, July 20 : The Eastern Regional Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has announced a...

Andhra Pradesh liquor scam case: SIT summons former excise minister Narayana Swamy

Vijayawada, July 20 : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the multi-crore liquor scam during YSR Congress Party...

Odisha minor girl set ablaze airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for advanced medical care

Bhubaneswar, July 20:A minor girl from Odisha's Puri district, who sustained 70 per cent burn injuries after being...