Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS, also called postural tachycardia syndrome) is a medical problem. When a person has POTS, their heart beats faster than normal when they stand up. POTS may also cause many other symptoms.[1]
Put together, the words "postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome" mean that when a person stands up, they get tachycardia, and they also have other symptoms.
When a healthy person stands up, their heart beats faster for a little while. It does this to push blood to the brain. Then the person's heart rate goes back to normal.
When a person with POTS stands up, their heart beats much faster than normal. POTS is diagnosed when a person's heart rate increases by at least 30 beats per minute within 10 minutes after they stand up. This is called postural tachycardia.[1]
People with POTS also have other symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (symptoms that get worse when a person is standing up, and get better when the person is lying down).[1] These symptoms may include:[1][2]
Hypovolemia (not having enough blood in the body).[1] This causes less blood to get to the heart. The body tries to fix this by making the heart beat faster, so more blood will get pushed into the heart.[7]
Problems with the nerves in the lower legs. This causes blood to pool in the lower legs. The body tries to fix this by making the heart beat faster so it can push more blood to the rest of the body.[9][2]
Most people with POTS are able to get better with treatment. About 6 out of every 10 people with POTS is able to recover within 5 years of being diagnosed with POTS.[5] About 9 out of every 10 people with POTS have some improvement with a combination of physical treatments and medicines.[8]
However, some people with POTS do not get better, and may even get worse over time.[8]
↑ 7.07.1Johnson, J. N., Mack, K. J., Kuntz, N. L., Brands, C. K., Porter, C. J., & Fischer, P. R. (2010). "Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: a clinical review". Pediatric Neurology. 42 (2): 77–78. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2009.07.002. PMID20117742.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)