Can stretching leg veins raise blood pressure? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT03496792
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at whether stretching the veins in your legs causes a rise in blood pressure when you stand up, a condition called orthostatic hypertension. Researchers will use a tilt table and inflatable trousers to gently stretch leg veins in 30 healthy adults and people with high standing blood pressure. They will measure nerve activity and blood pressure to understand the body's reflex response.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help explain why some people's blood pressure rises when they stand, pointing toward better treatments for orthostatic hypertension.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. It measures nerve activity and blood pressure, not a treatment, so direct patient benefits are far off.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2020
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Are capable of giving informed consent * Are of any race or ethnicity * Are fluent in written and spoken English * Whose history and physical exam did not uncover any exclusion criteria * Are 18 years of age For subjects with elevated standing BP * Systolic BP (SBP) during standing is at least 10 mmHg \> the supine SBP * Patients with a diagnosis of stage I hypertension without other chronic diseases may be INCLUDED For normal subjects without elevated standing BP * The change in SBP by standing is within ± 5 mmHg from the supine SBP * Matched gender, similar age and BMI (within 10%) to participants with elevated standing BP * Free of acute or chronic medical conditions Exclusion Criteria: * Age \< 18 years of age * Are a pregnant or nursing woman * Are a prisoner or institutionalized individual or unable to consent * Have chronic diseases (e.g. heart, lung, neuromuscular disease, or cancer) other than stage I hypertension * Have orthostatic hypotension or a history of syncope * Current smoker * History of blood clots
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
RECRUITINGHershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States
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