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ArticleLink:http://www.webmd.com/heart/understandinglowbloodpressurebasics
Chronic low blood pressure with no symptoms is almost never serious. But health problems can occur when
blood pressure drops suddenly and the brain is deprived of an adequate blood supply. This can lead to
dizziness or lightheadedness. Sudden drops in blood pressure most commonly occur in someone who's
rising from a lying down or sitting position to standing. This kind of low blood pressure is known as postural
hypotension or orthostatic hypotension. Another type of low blood pressure can occur when someone
stands for a long period of time. This is called neurally mediated hypotension.
Postural hypotension is considered a failure of the cardiovascular system or nervous system to react
appropriately to sudden changes. Normally, when you stand up, some blood pools in your lower extremities.
Uncorrected, this would cause your blood pressure to fall. But your body normally compensates by sending
messages to your heart to beat faster and to your blood vessels to constrict. This offsets the drop in blood
pressure. If this does not happen, or happens too slowly, postural hypotension results.
The risk of both low and high blood pressure normally increases with age due in part to normal changes
during aging. In addition, blood flow to the heart muscle and the brain declines with age, often as a result of
plaque buildup in blood vessels. An estimated 10% to 20% of people over age 65 have postural hypotension.
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