Postprandial hypotension in clinical geriatric patients and healthy elderly: prevalence related to patient selection and diagnostic criteria.

The aims of this study were to find out whether Postprandial hypotension (PPH) occurs more frequently in patients admitted to a geriatric ward than in healthy elderly individuals, what the optimal interval between blood pressure measurements is in order to diagnose PPH and how often it is associated with symptoms.The result of this study indicates that PPH is present in a high number of frail elderly, but also in a few healthy older persons. Measuring blood pressure at least every 10 minutes for 60 minutes after breakfast will adequately diagnose PPH, defined as >20 mmHg systolic fall, in most patients. However with definition of PPH as >30 mmHg systolic fall, measuring blood pressure every 10 minutes will miss PPH in one of three patients. With the latter definition of PPH the presence of postprandial complaints is not associated with the existence of PPH.