Contrasting effects of acute and chronic volume expansion on orthostatic blood pressure control in a patient with autonomic circulatory failure.

We studied the effects of acute and chronic volume expansion on orthostatic blood pressure control in a 22-year-old female with hypoadrenergic orthostatic hypotension. Acute volume expansion on two occasions had unexpected effects: a decrease respectively no change in orthostatic tolerance and no change in upright blood pressure immediately after volume expansion followed by a marked improvement 8 h thereafter. The time course of changes in haematocrit and serum protein indicated an initial extravasation of plasma followed by a subsequent larger fluid shift back to the intravascular space. These effects had vanished after 3 days. Chronic volume expansion by head-up tilt at night and fludrocortisone resulted in a marked improvement in orthostatic blood pressure control at a comparable increment in body weight and sodium balance for the next 7 years until now. The circadian circulatory variation with orthostatic blood pressure lowest in the morning remained present after chronic volume expansion. We conclude in this patient that the effects of acute volume expansion on orthostatic blood pressure in autonomic failure are complex and not predictive for the beneficial effects of chronic volume expansion.