Understanding Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
What’s POTS?
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a situation that impacts the autonomic nervous system, the physique’s “autopilot” that controls important capabilities like coronary heart price, blood stress, and respiratory. POTS could cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and even fainting when standing up on account of improper regulation of those capabilities. It may have an effect on each youngsters and adults, with signs starting from delicate to debilitating.
How Does POTS Have an effect on the Physique?
Below regular circumstances, the autonomic nervous system ensures steady blood stress while you change positions—standing, mendacity down, or sitting. Whenever you rise up, it indicators blood vessels within the decrease physique to constrict, stopping blood from pooling within the legs and making certain enough blood movement to the mind.
In individuals with POTS, this response is impaired. The blood vessels don’t tighten sufficiently, resulting in diminished blood movement to the mind. To compensate, the guts price accelerates considerably, leading to an uncommon spike in coronary heart price upon standing.
Signs of POTS
POTS is primarily characterised by a major enhance in coronary heart price when transferring to a standing place, however it might additionally trigger a variety of different signs, together with:
- Coronary heart palpitations
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fainting spells
- Fatigue
- Chest ache
- Shortness of breath
- Chilly or painful extremities
- Nausea
- Train intolerance
- Purple or purple discoloration within the decrease legs
- Tremors
Signs might also happen with out standing, reminiscent of complications, unexplained sweating, problem concentrating, insomnia, and normal weak point.
What Causes POTS?
POTS typically emerges following viral infections, bodily trauma, or different triggers, although the precise trigger remains to be beneath investigation. It predominantly impacts females and often begins within the early to mid-teen years. Genetics can even play a job, as POTS is extra widespread if a mum or dad has the situation.
Diagnosing POTS
Diagnosing POTS includes an intensive bodily examination and evaluate of medical historical past, as no single take a look at confirms the situation. In youngsters and teenagers, a key indicator is a rise in coronary heart price of 40+ beats per minute inside 10 minutes of standing up, and not using a vital drop in blood stress. Docs might carry out a tilt desk take a look at, the place the affected person is strapped to a desk that strikes from mendacity to standing to observe coronary heart price and blood stress modifications.
Extra assessments could also be executed to rule out different situations and assess different elements of the physique, together with the guts, mind, and hormones. A POTS analysis is often confirmed when signs persist for a number of months and different causes have been excluded.
Managing and Treating POTS
POTS is a continual situation, so the main focus is on managing signs and bettering high quality of life by:
- Rising water and salt consumption
- Making certain good sleep habits
- Steadily rising bodily exercise, beginning with workout routines which might be carried out seated or mendacity down, like rowing, recumbent biking, or swimming
- Sporting compression stockings
- Elevating the top of the mattress to assist preserve blood stress throughout sleep
- Psychological assist to handle stress and symptom triggers
- Medicines as wanted
Since POTS impacts many bodily capabilities, discovering the best mixture of remedies can take time and should require a number of physician visits.
What to Count on with POTS
Many people see an enchancment in signs over time, and in some instances, POTS might resolve utterly, particularly as youngsters develop. If an underlying trigger is recognized and handled, signs might diminish extra shortly.
