Please read our disclaimer . Return to Index . Thus, orthostatic hypotension consists of symptoms of dizziness, faintness or lightheadedness which appear only on standing, and which are caused by low blood pressure. Only rarely is spinning vertigo caused by orthostasis. Symptoms that often accompany orthostatic hypotension include chest pain, trouble holding the urine, impotence, and dry skin from loss of sweating.
Blood pressure is maintained by a combination of several things.
The heart is the central pump, and a weak or irregular heart can cause orthostasis. Conditions such as arrhythmia, heart failure, deconditioning, and pregnancy are examples where the heart may not be up to the task of providing an adequate blood pressure. Numerous medications affect blood vessels including most of the medications used for blood pressure, and many of the medications used in psychiatry and for anginal heart pain. Heat, such as a hot shower or from a fever can also dilate blood vessels and cause orthostasis. The nervous system senses and responds to regulate blood pressure.