Change in blood pressure on standing was measured in 23 geriatric inpatients during the morning. The fall in systolic blood pressure was found to be greatest 30 s after standing, at 9.3±3.3 (SEM) mmHg and had returned to the supine levels within 2 min. In contrast, the diastolic pressure rose to a maximum of 9.7±1.8 mmHg by 2 mm. In 13 patients the measurements were repeated in the afternoon after lunch. The systolic blood pressure drop was significantly greater: 20.8±3.6 against 7.1±2.0 mmHg in the morning (p=0.01). Standardization of the time after standing and time of day of measurement may allow more precise comparisons of different stud
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