Orthostatic hypotension.

A 29-year-old white woman (weight, 1211b; height, 5 ft 6 in.) was referred to the Hypertension Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital in December 1984. She had been athletic and apparently in excellent health until September 1979 when she contracted an upper respiratory tract infection associated with wheezing. She was treated with prednisone for 5 days with resolution of the symptoms but later noted a progressive decline in her exercise tolerance with shortness of breath. She lost 15 to 20 lb over the next 2 to 3 months, and then in November 1979 she began experiencing episodes of "faintness," initially every 1 to 2