Understanding Orthostatic Hypotension (OH)
Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a condition that makes your blood pressure drop suddenly when you stand up. This can cause dizziness, weakness, and other symptoms, making it even harder to manage Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosing OH can be complicated, but wearable sensors could help to see how your body responds to change in posture (i.e. sit to stand, lying to stand)
In our study, the clinical team will help you to wear two devices, the SOMNOtouch and the Empatica EmbracePlus, to monitor heart rate, blood pressure and changes in your body position.
As part of the study, you will visit the Parkinson Research Clinic (PRC) for a clinical visit, and you will perform a Schellong test (while wearing the wearable devices). After that, you will wear the Empatica EmbracePlus device for seven days at home while you carry on with your daily activities. While at home, you will also perform the Schellong test twice a day.
What is the Schellong test?
The Schellong Test is a simple way to check how your body responds when you change positions, especially to see if you have orthostatic hypotension (OH), which is when your blood pressure drops suddenly when you stand up. Here’s how the test works.
First, you will lie down for 10 minutes. This allows to get a baseline reading of your blood pressure and heart rate. After that, you will stand up for 6 minutes during the clinic visit (3 minutes during home monitoring), with blood pressure and heart rate recorded each minute. You will be asked to do the Schellong test once in the clinic and twice a day at home
If there is a significant drop in blood pressure within 3 minutes of standing, the results may suggest the possibility of OH, which the clinician can then evaluate to make a diagnosis. You are also encouraged to let us know how you feel during the test, which helps us understand your condition better.
About the wearable devices
- SOMNOtouch is a cuffless blood pressure monitor validated by the European Society of Hypertension.
- Empatica EmbracePlus is a medical-grade wristband, that monitors physiological parameters like heart rate and has been validated for clinical research.