Water drinking improves orthostatic tolerance in patients with posturally related syncope

Water drinking improves OT (orthostatic tolerance) in healthy volunteers; however, responses to water in patients with PRS (posturally related syncope) are unknown. Therefore the aim of the present study was to examine whether water would improve OT in patients with PRS. In a randomized controlled cross-over fashion, nine patients with PRS ingested 500 ml and 50 ml (control) of water 15 min before tilting on two separate days. OT was determined using a combined test of head-up tilting and lower body suction and expressed as the time required to induce presyncope. We measured blood pressure and heart rate (using Portapres(R)) and middle cerebral artery velocity (using transcranial Doppler). SV (stroke volume) and TPR (total peripheral resistance) were calculated using the Modelflow(R) method. OT was significantly (P < 0.02) greater after drinking 500 ml of water than after 50 ml (25.4 +/- 1.5 compared with 19.8 +/- 2.3 min respectively). After ingestion of 500 ml of water, blood pressure during tilting was higher, the tilt-induced reduction in SV was smaller and the increase in TPR was greater (all P < 0.05). The correlation coefficient of the relationship between cerebral blood flow velocity and pressure was lower after 500 ml of water (0.43 +/- 0.1 compared with 0.73 +/- 0.1; P < 0.05), indicating better autoregulation. In conclusion, drinking 500 ml of water increased OT and improved cardiovascular and cerebrovascular control during orthostasis. Patients with PRS should be encouraged to drink water before situations likely to precipitate a syncopal attack.