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Abstract
Background
Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) refers to the presence of orthostatic intolerance symptoms associated with a heart rate increment of greater than 30 beats/min, usually up to 120 beats/min, on head-up tilt test. Symptoms related to POTS are usually lightheadedness, palpitations and tremor, but syncope can also occur. The pathophysiology of POTS is heterogeneous and its prognosis is uncertain.
Methods
We prospectively evaluated patients who met the criteria for POTS, at baseline and follow-up, using composite autonomic symptom scores and autonomic tests to assess the autonomic function. We compared the clinical and autonomic test results between baseline and follow-up.
Results
Sixty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria for POTS and forty-five patients were ultimately followed up for at least 1 year after baseline. The patients were predominantly young females (84%), with a mean age of 21 years. Most patients showed improved orthostatic symptoms and more than a quarter of patients had no longer met the criteria for POTS at follow-up.
References
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Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of patients with POTS
Table 2.
COMPASS-31 scores at baseline and follow-up
table 3.
Autonomic dysfunction on clinical autonomic testing at baseline and follow-up
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