Postural hypotension can be a side effect of which of the following?

Postural hypotension can be a side effect of which of the following?

• A. Medications
• B. Exercise
• C. High-protein diet
• D. Cold environment

Answer: (A)

Postural hypotension happens when standing up causes a drop in blood pressure because the body’s usual quick adjustments to keep blood flowing to the brain don’t work properly. Medications can interfere with those adjustments—by dilating blood vessels, lowering blood volume, or affecting the nerves that regulate blood pressure—so standing up can lead to dizziness or faintness. That’s why medications are a common cause of this side effect. The other options don’t typically cause this effect. Exercise raises blood pressure during activity and doesn’t usually produce a harmful drop upon standing afterward. A high-protein diet isn’t linked to postural hypotension, and a cold environment tends to raise or regulate blood pressure rather than cause a medication-like drop when standing.

Postural hypotension happens when standing up causes a drop in blood pressure because the body’s usual quick adjustments to keep blood flowing to the brain don’t work properly. Medications can interfere with those adjustments—by dilating blood vessels, lowering blood volume, or affecting the nerves that regulate blood pressure—so standing up can lead to dizziness or faintness. That’s why medications are a common cause of this side effect.

The other options don’t typically cause this effect. Exercise raises blood pressure during activity and doesn’t usually produce a harmful drop upon standing afterward. A high-protein diet isn’t linked to postural hypotension, and a cold environment tends to raise or regulate blood pressure rather than cause a medication-like drop when standing.