A 29-year-old white woman (weight, 1211b; height, 5 ft 6 in.) was referred to the Hypertension Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital in December 1984. She had been athletic and apparently in excellent health until September 1979 when she contracted an upper respiratory tract infection associated with wheezing. She was treated with prednisone for 5 days with resolution of the symptoms but later...

A 90-year-old woman with orthostatic hypotension and near-syncope was found to have a low-normal level of vitamin B(12) and no other medical findings that could explain her orthostasis. Her symptoms responded to vitamin B(12) replacement therapy. This case shows that vitamin B(12) deficiency can induce orthostatic hypotension and syncope that are correctable by vitamin B(12) replacement.

The syndrome of low-pressure CSF headaches was first recognized following diagnostic lumbar puncture. In the 1940s and 50s, Woltman in the United States ( [1] ) and Schaltenbrand in Germany ( [2] ) described "spontaneous" posture-related low-pressure headaches that did not develop after lumbar puncture. In spontaneous CSF leaks, there is sometimes a history of strenuous activity or tr...

BACKGROUND Autonomic dysfunction is common in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and orthostatic dizziness occurs in almost 50% of these patients. However, there have been no reports on postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in patients suffering from MS. METHODS The patients were included for analysis in this study if they had POTS with either a prior history of MS or ...

UNLABELLED The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the orthostatic stress test on changes in aortic pressure gradients in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS The orthostatic stress test was performed in 56 AS patients. The maximum aortic gradient was compared between the supine and the upright position (using Doppler echocardiography from the apical window). The left hand ...

Slow orthostatic tremor (OT) occurred to longer and lower frequency regular rhythmic bursts in leg muscle upon standing. The slow OT was often able to clinically confused with orthostatic myoclonus. We described a Parkinson's disease patient with levodopa responsive slow OT. She showed abnormal movements of more regular rhythms and stable frequency on both legs on standing. These symptoms were ...

BACKGROUND Blood pressure regulation may be impaired following acute stroke. Typically, there is overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and underactivity of the parasympathetic system resulting in transient hypertension. Orthostatic hypotensive responses in acute stroke are less well documented. CASE REPORT We present a case of severe persistent orthostatic hypotension (OH) following ...

A 49-year-old man presented to hospital with severe orthostatic hypotension, gingival dysplasia and a purpuric rash involving his extremities. The orthostatic hypotension failed to respond to fluids and, on the basis of physical examination and dietary history, the patient was given a preliminary diagnosis of scurvy (ascorbic acid deficiency). Serum ascorbic acid levels were undetectable and th...