[Health Tip] Woke Up Feeling Dizzy... Orthostatic Hypotension Diagnosis Rate ↑ New Testing Method Developed

Orthostatic Hypotension and Dizziness. Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Myunghwan Lee] Domestic medical professionals have proposed a testing method that increases the diagnostic rate of orthostatic hypotension.

Korea University Anam Hospital announced that a research team led by Professors Byungjo Kim and Jinwoo Park from the Department of Neurology, in collaboration with the Autonomic Disorders Center at Vanderbilt University in the United States, published research results showing that the "Valsalva maneuver" improves the efficiency and diagnostic rate of orthostatic hypotension tests.

Orthostatic hypotension is a condition caused by autonomic nervous system abnormalities, where blood pressure drops significantly upon standing up suddenly, leading to dizziness, visual disturbances, and fainting. It is characterized by normal blood pressure when lying down but a significant drop when sitting or standing. Orthostatic hypotension occurs due to degenerative nervous system diseases, other autonomic nervous system disorders, the effects of medications being taken, and can occur regardless of age. Early and accurate identification of the underlying cause is essential, making diagnosis important.

The Valsalva maneuver is an autonomic nervous system test that evaluates cardiovascular function. It involves closing the nose and mouth and exhaling forcefully as if blowing up a balloon by applying pressure to the abdomen, while measuring changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Through this, medical professionals can determine whether a patient's blood pressure drop is due to autonomic nervous system abnormalities. The study found that when performing the Valsalva maneuver for 15 seconds, the smaller the heart rate change and the longer the time taken to recover to normal blood pressure, the more likely a tilt table test lasting over 30 minutes is required.

The research team analyzed the relationship with orthostatic hypotension by comparing heart rate changes and blood pressure recovery times during the Valsalva maneuver in 2,498 patients who underwent autonomic nervous system testing from March 2016 to May 2022.

This suggests that medical professionals can predict the necessary duration of the tilt table test for each patient. Until now, there were no objective guidelines on how long the tilt table test should be for each patient, making it difficult to select the optimal test duration individually.

Professor Kim stated, "This important study helps reduce unnecessary tests and supports patient diagnosis and treatment by utilizing various indicators of the Valsalva maneuver when conducting tilt table tests."

Meanwhile, this study was published in Hypertension, a prestigious international journal of the American Heart Association.