Prevalence and risk factors of postural hypotension among hypertensive patients in a primary care setting

• Main Authors: Ooi, Inn Jia, Chia, Yook Chin *
• Format: Article
• Published: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 2022
• Subjects: RC Internal medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2958/; https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/abstract/2022/06001/prevalence_and_risk_factors_of_postural.326.aspx
• Institution: Sunway University

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of postural hypotension and the risk factors among hypertensive patients in a primary care setting. Design and method: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire study carried out at the University Malaya of Medical Centre Primary Care Clinic from July 2017 to July 2019. Patients aged = /> 18 years with hypertension were consecutively recruited. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) = /> 140mmHg or diastolic BP = /> 90mmHg or taking antihypertensive medication. Postural hypotension in this study was defined as a fall in systolic BP (SBP) of = /> 20mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) of = /> 10mmHg when getting up from sitting to standing position. Associations between the risk factors/ determinants (sociodemographic & medical comorbidities) with postural hypotension were assessed using Chi-Square test and odds ratio. Confounders were assessed using bivariate logistic regression. Results: 682 hypertensive patients were included in this study: Mean age 66.1 +/- 9.9 years, 56.9% female, mean BMI 27.06 +/- 5.14 kg/m2. Mean SBP was 144.5 +/- 19.1 mmHg and DBP was 82.5 +/- 10.8 mmHg, and mean heart rate was 71 +/- 12 beat/min. Prevalence of postural hypotension was 3.5% (n = 24), 1.5% had a decrease of = /> 20mmHg in SBP and 2.1% had a decrease of = /> 10 mmHg in DBP.