###### Created: 2022-04-04 14:33
###### Areas & Topics: #medicine #bloodpressure
###### Note Type: #permanent
###### Connected to: [[Systemic Arterial Blood Pressure - Medical Sciences, Third Edition]] [[Baroreceptors and the Baroreceptor Reflex]]
- Orthostasis means the maintenance of standing upright.
- The term comes from the Greek Orthos (meaning upright) and histanai (meaning to stand).
- When moving from supine (laying down) to vertical (upright), blood pressure **below** the heart increases and blood pressure **above** the heart decreases due to gravity
- This intiates the [[Baroreceptors and the Baroreceptor Reflex]] to compensate for the change in blood pressure.
- When normal physiological responses fail, patients can experience orthostatic (postural) hypotension.
### Sources
Orthostasis - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30422533/