Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system in which the heart rate rises abnormally on sitting up or standing, defined in adults as an increase of at least 30 beats per minute within ten minutes of standing, often exceeding 120 beats per minute, without a significant drop in blood pressure. It is thought to arise from faulty regulation of heart rate and blood flow, including blood pooling in the legs, and can follow a viral infection, surgery, trauma, autoimmune disease, or pregnancy; COVID-19 infection has also been linked to its onset. Standing brings on lightheadedness, fainting, trouble thinking, palpitations, weakness, and heat intolerance, along with fatigue, headache, brain fog, exercise intolerance, nausea, chest pain, and shortness of breath, with up to a third of patients fainting. An estimated 1 to 3 million Americans have POTS, with onset typically around age 20 and women affected about five times more often than men.