Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS,, is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that causes your heart to beat faster when there is a change in your posture, i.e, when you stand upright from either a sitting or lying position.
It is one of the three types of orthostatic intolerance, with the other being vasovagal syncope and orthostatic hypotension.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “your body’s autonomic nervous system balances your heart rate and blood pressure to keep your blood flowing at a healthy pace, no matter what position your body is in. If you have POTS, your body can’t coordinate the balancing act of blood vessel constriction (squeezing) and heart rate response. This means that your body can’t keep your blood pressure steady and stable. This causes a variety of symptoms.”
Not all the cases of POTS are the same; they can vary from person to person.
Now let us look at the postural orthostatic tachycardia symptoms and which group of people is most likely to be affected by them.
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Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Symptoms
While symptoms can vary from individual to individual, and can happen either suddenly or over a period of time,. Here are some of the most common symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome:
- Lightheadedness or dizziness when moving from a sitting or lying position to standing upright, during a session of prolonged standing or walking for a long time.
- Losing consciousness or fainting.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Increased heart rate, heart beating faster
- Prolonged fatigue and exhaustion
- Headaches
- Chest pain (angina)
- Shortness of breath
- Excessive sweating
- Brain fog i.e trouble remembering and inability to pay attention
- A pale face and purple discoloration of the hands and feet if the limbs are lower than the level of the heart
The symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome are often seen to get worse in these conditions:
- Being in warm environments, such as a hot shower, sauna, hot weather, etc.
- Standing for a prolonged period of time, such as in shopping, waiting for a bus, or any other event.
- Inadequate fluid intake or skipping a meal.
- During a common cold or infection
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How does POTS affect the body?
A normal human may experience a little lightheadedness when switching from a sitting to upright posture. This is caused by gravity, as about 10–15% of the blood settles in the legs, arms, and abdomen.
This causes less blood to reach the brain, causing lightheadedness, but the body’s autonomic nervous system kicks in other mechanisms, like releasing the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.
These hormones make the heart beat faster and help bring more blood to the heart and brain.
In people with POTS, there is more blood stored below the heart than in normal people, which causes the body to release more amounts of epinephrine and norepinephrine to constrict the blood vessels.
But, due to certain reasons, in people with POTS, the blood vessels don’t respond well to these hormones, leading to less blood reaching the brain and causing brain fog and lightheadedness. The increase in heart rate corresponds to the heart reacting to the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.
This causes an imbalance in the body and leads to the symptoms associated with POTS.
Who is at greatest risk?
POTS is most likely to impact women aged 15 to 50 and, in some cases, males of the same group. But if you are also experiencing the following conditions, then you are more likely to have POTS.
- Viral infections such as mononucleosis, COVID, etc.
- Any kind of trauma or injury to the head.
- Pregnancy
- Any recent surgery on the body, especially the brain,
- People with autoimmune disorder like Lupus or celiac disease.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Treatment
Although there is no defined cure for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Treatment (POTS), physicians can suggest different strategies based on the symptoms of the individual and what works best for them.
The main line of treatment involves lifestyle changes, diet modifications, and exercise.
References
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16560-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots
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