by William Menna

Created on: July 23, 2009

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, abbreviated POTS, is a newly discovered form of dysautonomia. Similar in symptoms to conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and mononucleosis, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome can make everyday life a challenge, often turning the simple act of getting out of bed an ordeal.

Causes and Risk Factors:

The causes of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome are not yet fully understood. The autonomic nervous system's function is somehow thrown out of balance, leading to a form of dysautonomia. According to the Mayo Clinic, some people develop POTS after a mononucleosis infection or a high fever or other illness. It is suspected that a family history of POTS or similar conditions can increase the odds of affliction, but research is too limited to make conclusions at this point. POTS is found far more frequently in women than in men. Its development is most prevalent in girls in their teens and young adults.

Symptoms:

People with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome experience irregularities in heart rate and blood pressure when standing upright. Heart rate increases significantly, blood pressure plummets, and the symptoms become most pronounced. Fatigue is debilitating and often constant regardless of whether the person is standing. This fatigue is sometimes accompanied by light-headedness, dizziness, and nausea. Fainting can even occur on tougher days.

In POTS, appetite may become suppressed. Sufferers may become increasingly sensitive to heat, becoming uncomfortable in higher temperatures. Body temperature may fluctuate, sometimes mimicking a fever. The sleep cycle can become abnormal, leading to difficulty with falling asleep and getting up in the morning. The overall effect of the symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a loss of normalcy in everyday life.

Treatments:

There is no single definitive treatment for POTS patients. Various therapies, lifestyle treatments, and medications may be applied. One common suggestion is to increase fluid intake in tandem with increased salt intake as a means of retaining more fluids. A limited amount of moderate exercise, usually in bouts of 15 to 20 minutes per day for two or three days per week, may be suggested as a means of developing greater tolerance to daily activity and promoting long-term condition management. With chronic excessive fatigue, exercise is not easy, but it is often found to be one of the best treatments.

According to a study by the Mayo Clinic, beta-blockers have been found to be among the most frequently effective medicines for relieving POTS symptoms. Midodrine was found to be most effective for half as many patients, but each proved helpful for POTS patients.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a recently discovered condition that seems to primarily affect young women. Its energy-sapping effects can be very difficult to live with, making everyday life a challenge. The good news for youths with POTS is that it is usually outgrown by the ages of adulthood. If you have any questions about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, talk to your doctor; if your doctor is not familiar with the condition, seek a doctor who is. As a condition that has only been found in the last couple of decades, it is not yet fully appreciated or understood, but awareness is growing.

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