[Dizziness upon standing: consider autonomic dysfunction]

Many people, particularly elderly, experience dizziness upon standing. It is important to always measure the blood pressure and heart rate in the supine and standing position in these patients. In case of orthostatic hypotension with an insufficient increase in heart rate, one has to consider autonomic dysfunction. Alpha-synucleopathies are frequent causes of autonomic dysfunction, including Parkinson's disease, Pure Autonomic Failure and Multiple System Atrophy. The quality of life can significantly be improved in patients with autonomic dysfunction due to life-style measures (increased salt and water intake, compressive stockings, head-up sleeping) and medication to increase blood pressure (fludrocortisone, midodrine). There is often a considerable delay in the diagnosis of autonomic dysfunction, which prevents adequate treatment. The main message of this paper is that we should all search for orthostatic hypotension in patients with dizziness and, in case of insufficient heart rate increase, refer these patients for autonomic function testing