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(Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

A informational POTS blog

All about P.O.T.S

From Sanjay Bandhakavi

What is P.O.T.S ?

  • P.O.T.S stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

  • It is a illness characterized by abrupt increase in heart rate rapidly after standing up from sitting, or after prolonged standing​

  • This jump in heart rate causes drop in blood pressure leading to other symptoms such as lightheadedness, near fainting, and fatigue

  • It disproportionately ​affects females (80% are females), especially teens from 13-16 years of age

  • It is thought that a viral illness is supposed to cause this disorder

  • There has been a rise in P.O.T.S incidence, since COVID-19 pandemic

  • Dizziness, lightheadedness, blurry vision, headaches, near fainting, difficulty breathing, nausea, fatigue, long standing back pain, are some of the symptoms that P.O.T.S patients experience from day to day​

Why care  about P.O.T.S?

  • It is estimated that around 2-6 million Americans are affected by P.O.T.S

  • While some patients have mild symptoms, some patients can have debilitating symptoms

  • Severity of symptoms can lead to absence from school, work, and sports affecting productivity and quality of life

  • 1 in 4 P.O.T.S patients are disabled and unable to work

  • Living with P.O.T.S can be very difficult on a day to day basis. 

How to treat P.O.T.S

  • Hydration is a great way to improve circulating volume, since P.O.T.S symptoms are triggered by low blood pressure

  • Recommend drinking 2-3 liters of water per day

  • Liberal salt intake to 8000 milligrams per day

  • Calf strengthening exercises

  • Wearing compression stockings

  • Avoiding substances such as caffeine which can worsen symptoms

  • Occasionally Fludrocortisone use under the guidance of a physician

Comorbidities

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  • Anemia, deficiency in folic acid

  • Antiphospholipid Syndrome (Hughes Syndrome)

  • Cervical stenosis

  • Chagas syndrome

  • Chiari malformation

  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

  • Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

  • Delta Storage Pool Deficiency

  • Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes

  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

  • Epstein Barr

  • Guillain-Barre

  • Lipodystrophy

  • Lupus

  • Mast Cell Activation Disorders

  • Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome

  • Mitochondrial Diseases

  • Nutcracker Syndrome

  • Porphyrias

  • Sarcoidosis

  • Sjogren’s Syndrome

  • Syringomyelia

  • Thyroid Disease

  • Tumors 

  • Vitamin Deficiencies

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