['To explore the association of early symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (OI) with systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial (MAP) blood pressure changes in a sample of community-dwelling older people undergoing an active stand test; and to establish whether SBP and DBP changes have different symptomatic correlates during early orthostasis.', 'A total of 224 community-dwelling older subjects (mean age 72.6 years, 68.8% females) were included. All had a Mini-Mental State Examination score >or=23 and no risk factors for autonomic neuropathy. Subjects were monitored with the Finometer Pro device. Variables reflecting blood pressure changes (absolute low: nadir, magnitude of drop: delta, and speed of recovery) were extracted for SBP, DBP and MAP with the BeatScope software (5-s averages method), and correlated with self-reported OI during active stand.', 'Of the 224 subjects, 62 (27.7%) reported OI. SBP changes had strong bivariate associations with OI, but not DBP changes. A logistic regression model suggested that the rate of recovery of SBP during the first 30 s following active stand is more important as a determinant of OI than SBP nadir or delta. Subjects who recovered at least 80% of their baseline SBP within 30 s post-stand were very unlikely to report OI.'] Does intolerance to initial orthostasis relate to systolic BP changes in elders?