Q: My husband is 90 years old and has dizziness spells. He is seldom dizzy when relaxing and sitting in a chair.
He can walk for 20 minutes outside, but if he stops to chat with anybody the dizzy spells come on fast and if he does not get moving, he will fall to the ground. He has to sit while he wipes the dishes for me.
Our doctor had him on thyroid pills for a while, but we cannot see that these make much difference. He sees the doctor about every six weeks and he always says everything is good.
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He does take blood samples from time to time. My husband does not have aches or pains, nausea or blurred vision and his blood pressure is fine.
A: From your good description of your husband’s symptoms, I think that he may have what is known as postural hypotension. This means that the blood pressure drops when you go from a sitting to a standing position, or in some cases, when you simply stand in one spot for too long.
Some soldiers on parade have this problem, particularly in hot weather, and can faint on the spot.
When he next visits the doctor, ask that his blood pressure be checked standing as well as sitting or lying down. If there is a significant change, then your husband has postural hypotension.
About 10-30 percent of elderly people suffer from this problem. Most commonly, it is related to medications, but in your husband this does not appear to be the case, unless he is taking some heart or blood pressure medication that you forgot to mention.
Is he taking any sleeping pills, tranquillizers, or antidepressants? Perhaps you should ask the doctor to check his thyroid levels again. A low level of thyroid hormone in the body could lead to the dizzy spells.
Actually, the situation is best described as a feeling of faintness rather than dizziness, which implies that there is vertigo or a spinning sensation.
In most cases in the elderly, no cause can be found for postural hypotension, but it is thought to be due to a lack of muscle tone in the walls of the blood vessels and the muscles surrounding them.
If your doctor can find nothing wrong with him, it might help if he continues to take his walks, or does some muscle strengthening exercises. Perhaps he should use a cane or walker though, just in case.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with pactice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
