Association Between Postprandial Hypotension Determined by Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Falls Among Older Adults With Hypertension Who Are Taking Antihypertensive Medication: Results From the AMBROSIA Study

BACKGROUND: Postprandial hypotension (PPH) may contribute to falls among older adults, particularly those taking antihypertensive medication. However, evidence on this association in community-dwelling populations is limited. Since ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring captures BP during daily activities, it may provide accurate assessments of PPH outside the clinic setting. METHODS: This prospective cohort study examined the association between PPH and fall risk among community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years taking antihypertensive medication. At baseline, participants underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring; subsequently, they completed monthly fall calendars during a 12-month follow-up. PPH by systolic BP (SBP; systolic PPH) was defined as a postprandial SBP decline, mean SBP during the hour before the meal minus the minimum SBP during the 2 hours after the meal, following any meal of ≥20 mm Hg, or a decrease to SBP ≤90 mm Hg when preprandial SBP was ≥100 mm Hg. RESULTS: Among 626 participants (mean±SD age, 74.6±6.2 years; 56.1% women), 442 (70.6%) experienced systolic PPH. The mean±SD number of meals was 2.6±0.8 during the ambulatory BP monitoring period. During the 12-month follow-up, falls occurred in 169 of 442 (38.2%) participants with systolic PPH and 70 of 184 (38.0%) participants without systolic PPH. Systolic PPH was not associated with fall risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.93 95% CI, 0.69–1.26). A restricted cubic spline analysis demonstrated no evidence of an association between the largest postprandial SBP decline across all meals and fall risk. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, PPH identified by ambulatory BP monitoring was common but not associated with risk of falls.