A concerning orthostatic BP change is a drop of 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic with symptoms. Which option matches this criterion?

• A. 15; 5
• B. 20; 10
• C. 25; 12
• D. 30; 15

Answer: (B)

Orthostatic hypotension is diagnosed when moving to an upright position causes a drop in blood pressure that meets a specific threshold: a systolic decrease of 20 mmHg or a diastolic decrease of 10 mmHg, and this change occurs with accompanying symptoms such as dizziness or lightheadedness. The option that shows exactly a 20 mmHg drop in systolic and a 10 mmHg drop in diastolic aligns with that described threshold, making it the best match. Values smaller than these thresholds don’t meet the criterion, while larger drops would also indicate orthostatic changes, but the prompt is targeting the defined threshold itself.