What is POTS and why is it more common now?
The amount of circulation disorder cases has tripled
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The circulation disorder mostly affects women, and while cases used to appear in older individuals, doctors are now seeing a rise in patients between the ages of 15 and 25. POTS can be debilitating and does not currently have a cure.
What is POTS?
POTS is a "condition that causes a number of symptoms when you transition from lying down to standing up, such as a fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue," said The Cleveland Clinic. Reason being, "when you've got POTS and stand up, more blood than normal pools down in the lower half of your body," said Forbes. This causes your heart to beat faster to compensate. The condition affected between one and three million people prior to the pandemic, but a pre-printed study by Johns Hopkins said that instances have more than tripled, with approximately 6 to 7 million new cases. "The most common trigger of POTS is a viral infection," Svetlana Blitshteyn, a neurologist and the director of the Dysautonomia Clinic in Buffalo, New York, said to CBS News. "This includes viruses like influenza and parvovirus and Covid-19."
There has been a recent slew of diagnoses in teens and adults who were otherwise healthy. Specifically, highly-trained female athletes have been affected. "These patients are young people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who were healthy or had minor medical problems that didn't impact their lives before and now they are expressing extreme fatigue, dizziness, headache, inability to exercise and some are unable to work," Blitshteyn said. However, doctors are not quick to diagnose POTS. "Since POTS isn't technically life-threatening, if you're fatigued or fainting, have a racing heartbeat, a doc will likely scan you for other, perhaps more immediately dangerous, things before considering POTS," said Self.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Who is most affected?
Anyone can get POTS, but it is "primarily seen in women that are of reproductive age," said The University of Utah. The reason for this is not yet clear, but some conditions associated with POTS also primarily affect women, like hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and autoimmune diseases. Women are also thought to be "more vulnerable to inflammation," said The Washington Post. "It could reflect the damage that comes with being hit with a virus unknown to humans until 2020. And the stress associated with repetitive physical exhaustion could leave athletes at risk."
Athletes may be predisposed to the condition. Some of those diagnosed also had hypermobility, meaning they have a greater-than-average range of motion, which is beneficial in a number of sports. But hypermobility could also be making blood vessels "more stretchy," impacting heart rate and blood pressure, Sara Gould, an orthopedic surgeon, said to the Post. In addition, some POTS patients also have a "condition called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which is characterized by post-exertional malaise (PEM) — a situation in which symptoms worsen after exercise," said National Geographic.
The severity of POTS can vary greatly from person to person. "Patients with severe symptoms might have to limit their lifestyles and daily activities a great deal, to the point where they can't work a full-time job that involves a lot of standing or walking," said Richard Shelton, a cardiologist at the University of Utah Health. However, for many, symptoms are manageable through exercise, diet changes, sleep changes, and in some cases, medication.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Arsonists may have spurred the California wildfires
In the Spotlight Are individuals the ones responsible for starting or worsening the blazes in Los Angeles?
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
'Most troubling is his long record of anti-vaccine advocacy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Dodgers' spending spree renews push for salary cap
The Explainer Spending limits might not be the answer that smaller market teams are looking for
By David Faris Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The decline of the contraceptive pill
In the Spotlight Fears of the pill's side effects, stoked by social media, behind switch to fertility trackers – or no contraception at all
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What are the long-term effects of alcohol?
It's not just cancer
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
HMPV is spreading in China but there's no need to worry
The Explainer Respiratory illness is common in winter
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Walking pneumonia cases are picking up pace
The explainer Another respiratory illness to be wary of
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Marty Makary: the medical contrarian who will lead the FDA
In the Spotlight What Johns Hopkins surgeon and commentator Marty Makary will bring to the FDA
By David Faris Published
-
The future of fluoridated water is up for debate
The Explainer The oral benefits are watery
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Will the murder of a health insurance CEO cause an industry reckoning?
Today's Big Question UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in what police believe was a targeted attack
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published