Learn About POTS

If you are reading this, it likely means you want to help someone with POTS and/or other co-occurring conditions. So first things first, we want to thank you for taking the first step, which involves learning more about these illnesses and how you can learn more. This in itself means a great deal to everyone in our community who is coping with and navigating these illnesses. It can be difficult to watch someone you care about struggle with debilitating symptoms, or you may be having trouble adjusting to how this illness has impacted your relationship with this person you care so much about. Perhaps you are frustrated that they can’t do everything they used to be able to do with you; perhaps you are frustrated because they cancel when making plans more often; perhaps you feel helpless because you wish you could do more to help your loved one. Perhaps you are having trouble understanding what they are experiencing because so much of it is difficult to visualize or is new to you. Our goal is to help you understand these illnesses to alleviate frustration, minimize feelings of helplessness, and help you feel empowered to support, motivate, care for, and love this person (or people) in your life.

What Is POTS?

POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and it is a form of autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic dysfunction refers to malfunctioning of the autonomic branch of our nervous system, which controls many of the involuntary bodily functions we don’t normally have to think about! It has been recently suggested that POTS is both a peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) disorder as well (Blitshteyn, 2021). The severity can vary, the symptoms can vary, and the forms of POTS can also vary. If you would like to learn more about what POTS is, we recommend reviewing the content under our Learning About POTS sections.

What Treatments Are Available?

Although there is currently no cure, there are a number of lifestyle modifications that can be made, as well as non-pharmacological interventions, and pharmacological interventions that can be extremely helpful. For many in our community, access to all of these can significantly improve their quality of life and overall daily functioning. This being said, they aren’t as effective for everyone in our community, especially when battling other co-occurring conditions. To learn more about some of these, we recommend looking at our Managing Symptoms, Daily Tips and Tricks, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Meal Preparation/Nutrition sections.

Why Did They Develop POTS?

One of the questions providers ask individuals with POTS is “When did you last feel healthy?” Sometimes this question can lead providers to help determine what trigger, or triggers, led to its development. Some of the most common triggers include infections like influenza, Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis, also known as mono), and providers are now seeing many cases following COVID-19 infections. Other triggers can include hormonal changes during puberty, surgery, other underlying illnesses, trauma, pregnancy, and/or vaccination. This being said, some cases are idiopathic in nature, meaning the trigger is unknown. To learn more, see our What Causes POTS section. As a syndrome, there can also be other co-occurring illnesses that contribute to or cause POTS. Treating those underlying illnesses, such as MCAS for some, can potentially lead to improvements in POTS symptoms.

Are There Different Types Of POTS?

Yes, there are different types of POTS. There is still ongoing research to help us better understand the different types, so this information may change and need to be updated, but a few types of POTS include: neurogenic POTS, hyperadrenergic POTS, and hypovolemic POTS. There is also research to suggest there are autoimmune components and MCAS components for some. To learn more, click here.

Source:

Blitshteyn, S., & Whitelaw, S. (2021). Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and other autonomic disorders after COVID-19 infection: A case series of 20 patients. Immunologic Research, 69(2), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-021-09185-5