Mercy's Dr. Jonathan Rich Discusses Dizziness, Light-Headed Sensation of Orthostatic Hypotension

Orthostatic hypotension is a medical term many may not know, but they are aware of the condition, medical experts say.

Orthostatic hypotension occurs when there is a drop in blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy or light-headed after standing up quickly.

According to Mercy internist Dr. Jonathan Rich, Downtown Personal Physicians, orthostatic hypotension is very common in both women and men of all ages and is usually harmless.

"You check someone's blood pressure while they're laying down, and then you have them stand up in the office, and you check their blood pressure, and if those numbers drop a certain amount, it qualifies as orthostatic hypotension," Dr. Rich said.

"It becomes a problem if it's something that's prolonged. If it lasts several minutes or even longer than that, if it's happening very frequently throughout the day, if it's leading to you actually falling, then it becomes something much more serious where we would probably be more aggressive," he added.

Medications can often affect blood pressure and cause orthostatic hypotension. 

To view Dr. Rich’s interview regarding orthostatic hypotension, click here.