Orthostatic hypotension (OH), a drop in blood pressure upon standing that might cause you to feel faint or dizzy, was recently profiled in a New York Times article for the danger it poses in causing falls and injuries. It’s also a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and a certain type of OH—one that is due to a problem with the nervous system’s control of blood pressure—could potentially be a sign of an underlying disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.

The article highlights the work of Dr. Christopher Gibbons and Dr. Roy Freeman, two of the founders of CND Life Sciences. For their research, published in the medical journal Neurology, they reviewed the medical records of 230 individuals who were tested for OH in 2002 and 2003. They found that after 10 years, the risk of death was 3-7 times higher in those with OH than in individuals who did not have OH. More than one-third went on to develop an alpha-synucleinopathy—Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, or pure autonomic failure.

OH is not always associated with serious outcomes like these, but the study results underscore the need for doctors to screen their patients for OH, a condition that often goes unrecognized. And given its potential as an early sign of Parkinson’s disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies, there’s never been more reason to pay close attention to OH.

For patients at risk of developing an alpha-synucleinopathy, CND Life Sciences offers the Syn-One Test™, a convenient, accurate, minimally invasive test to aid in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Learn more about it here.