Middle-aged people who feel dizzy when standing up from a lying-down position may be at a higher risk of dementia or a stroke in the future, a report says.
The light-headed feeling is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is known as orthostatic hypotension (OH).
Participants with the condition in the study of 11,709 people in the USA had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia or having a stroke.
However, feeling dizzy sometimes is often not a sign of a serious illness.
The American Academy of Neurology studied people for an average 25 years. And the average age of the participants was 54.
Study author Andreea Rawlings said OH had been previously linked to heart disease, so her team wanted to know if it could also be responsible for brain conditions.
“Measuring orthostatic hypotension in middle age may be a new way to identify people who need to be carefully monitored for dementia or stroke,” she said.
“More studies are needed to clarify what may be causing these links as well as to investigate possible prevention strategies.” -BBC
