PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — You may not have heard of orthostatic hypotension, but it is a medical condition that becomes a bigger issue the older we get.
The simplest way to explain the condition is having a significant drop in blood pressure within three minutes of standing up from a sitting or lying position.
Symptoms include lightheadedness and headache, and the risk of falls increases. It is estimated that one out of five people over the age of 60 experience this problem.
The good news is your doctor can test for this in a regular office visit and, in many cases, there are treatments. The key is to deal with it before other issues occur.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.



