Dataset Information

Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, neurology outcomes, and death in older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To test the hypothesis that orthostatic hypotension (OH) might cause cerebral hypoperfusion and injury, we examined the longitudinal relationship between OH or orthostatic symptoms and incident neurologic outcomes in a community population of older adults.

Methods

Cardiovascular Health Study participants (≥65 years) without dementia or stroke had blood pressure (BP) measured after lying down for 20 minutes and after standing 3 for minutes. Participants reported dizziness immediately upon standing and any dizziness in the past 2 weeks. OH was defined as a drop in standing systolic/diastolic BP ≥20/≥10 mm Hg. We determined the association between OH or dizziness with (1) MRI brain findings (ventricular size, white matter hyperintensities, brain infarcts) using linear or logistic regression, (2) cognitive function (baseline and over time) using generalized estimating equations, and (3) prospective adjudicated events (dementia, stroke, death) using Cox models. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics and OH risk factors. We used multiple imputation to account for missing OH or dizziness (n = 534).

Results

Prior to imputation, there were 5,007 participants (mean age 72.7 ± 5.5 years, 57.6% women, 10.9% Black, 16% with OH). OH was modestly associated with death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.20), but not MRI findings, cognition, dementia, or stroke. In contrast, dizziness upon standing was associated with lower baseline cognition (β = -1.20; -1.94 to -0.47), incident dementia (HR 1.32; 1.04-1.62), incident stroke (HR 1.22; 1.06-1.41), and death (HR 1.13; 1.06-1.21). Similarly, dizziness over the past 2 weeks was associated with higher white matter grade (β = 0.16; 0.03-0.30), brain infarcts (OR 1.31; 1.06-1.63), lower baseline cognition (β = -1.18; -2.01 to -0.34), and death (HR 1.13; 1.04-1.22).

Conclusions

Dizziness was more consistently associated with neurologic outcomes than OH 3 minutes after standing. Delayed OH assessments may miss pathologic information related to cerebral injury.

SUBMITTER: Juraschek SP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7682840 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:ImportanceGuidelines recommend assessing orthostatic hypotension (OH) 3 minutes after rising from supine to standing positions. It is not known whether measurements performed immediately after standing predict adverse events as strongly as measurements performed closer to 3 minutes.ObjectiveTo compare early vs later OH measurements and their association with history of dizziness and longitudinal adverse outcomes.Design, setting, and participantsThis was a prospective cohort study of middle-aged (range, 44-66 years) participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (1987-1989).ExposuresOrthostatic hypotension, defined as a drop in blood pressure (BP) (systolic BP ≥20 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥10 mm Hg) from the supine to standing position, was measured up to 5 times at 25-second intervals.Main outcomes and measuresWe determined the association of each of the 5 OH measurements with history of dizziness on standing (logistic regression) and risk of fall, fracture, syncope, motor vehicle crashes, and all-cause mortality (Cox regression) over a median of 23 years of follow-up (through December 31, 2013).ResultsIn 11 429 participants (mean age, 54 years; 6220 [54%] were women; 2934 [26%] were black) with at least 4 OH measurements after standing, after adjustment OH assessed at measurement 1 (mean [SD], 28 [5.4] seconds; range, 21-62 seconds) was the only measurement associated with higher odds of dizziness (odds ratio [OR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.18-1.89). Measurement 1 was associated with the highest rates of fracture, syncope, and death at 18.9, 17.0, and 31.4 per 1000 person-years. Measurement 2 was associated with the highest rate of falls and motor vehicle crashes at 13.2 and 2.5 per 1000 person-years. Furthermore, after adjustment measurement 1 was significantly associated with risk of fall (hazard ratio [HR], 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.44), fracture (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34), syncope (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.20-1.63), and mortality (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.23-1.51). Measurement 2 (mean [SD], 53 [7.5] seconds; range, 43-83 seconds) was associated with all long-term outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.04-1.96). Measurements obtained after 1 minute were not associated with dizziness and were inconsistently associated with individual long-term outcomes.Conclusions and relevanceIn contrast with prevailing recommendations, OH measurements performed within 1 minute of standing were the most strongly related to dizziness and individual adverse outcomes, suggesting that OH be assessed within 1 minute of standing.