Symptoms
Orthostatic intolerance:
is a term that is sometimes used to describe symptoms of PoTS. It means symptoms that occur on standing and are relieved by lying down. In addition to heart rate and blood pressure, other bodily functions that are regulated by the autonomic nervous system can be affected.
Symptoms can be debilitating, ranging from mild to severe and varying from day to day.
- Dizziness or light-headedness or presyncope (almost fainting)
These symptoms usually occur when standing up, but can occur with prolonged sitting.
- Syncope (fainting or blackouts)
Approximately 30 % of people with PoTS experience fainting.
- Palpitations
Palpitations are a sensation of your heart pounding in your chest.
- Headaches
Approximately two thirds of those with PoTS have orthostatic headaches which means they occur as a result of being upright and may be caused by reduced blood supply to the brain. Most people with PoTS also have migraine type headaches.
- Tiredness or weakness
These are common symptoms of PoTS and can last for a considerable time after a bout of symptoms of PoTS.
- Brain fog
People with PoTS often complain of ‘brain fog’ which is difficulty in thinking or concentrating.
- Shakiness or Tremulousness
This is often worse with upright posture
- Shortness of breath
Patients can feel breathless when standing up or with slight exertion.
- Chest pain
Chest pain is fairly common in patients and can be worse when upright. The cause is not clear.
- Excessive or patchy reduced sweating
- Gut problems
Nausea is common. Other symptoms include diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, abdominal pain and vomiting. Many people with PoTS are told that they have irritable bowel syndrome.
- Poor sleep
Many patients with PoTS have insomnia. This can be trouble getting to sleep, waking in the middle of the night and trouble getting back to sleep.
- Visual problems
This can be described as excessive glare, blurred or tunnel vision.
- Bladder problems
Triggers which may worsen symptoms
- Excess heat
- After eating – especially refined carbohydrate eg sugar, white flour
- Speed of positional change – don’t stand up quickly
- Dehydration
- Time of day (may be worse in the morning, especially rising after wakening)
- Menstrual period
- Deconditioning or prolonged bed rest
- Alcohol which dilates blood vessels
- Exercise (occasional exercise can cause one to feel worse, but an ongoing exercise program can improve symptoms)
You may be given medication to take during the test. All observations are recorded and once the test has been completed they will be able to tell you from the observations whether or not you do have POTS.
So what are the causes of POTS?
In many cases, the cause of this nervous system problem is not known.
Teenagers will sometimes develop PoTS after a growth spurt and find it gradually disappears a few years later.
It can also develop later in life – typically at any age from 15 to 50 – and is much more common in females. It can develop suddenly after a viral illness or traumatic event, or during or after pregnancy.
Some of the other known causes are:
- an underlying disease – such as diabetes, amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis or cancer (chemotherapy can also sometimes trigger it)
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - A genetic connective tissue disorder which effects the productions of collagen.
- poisoning – with alcohol or certain metals
- inheriting an abnormal gene, which causes too much of the "fight or flight" hormone noradrenaline to be produced – this inherited form of PoTS is less common
PoTS can be misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety or panic attacks.
No comments:
Post a Comment