Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an under-recognized condition in chronic fatigue syndrome — non-technical summary
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition which causes a very large increase in heart rate and fall in blood pressure when people change from lying down to standing up. The consequences of this can include weakness, muscle aches and pains, and substantial disability. POTS is due to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which controls many of the involuntary activities of the body.
Since many ME/CFS patients have problems with standing, and suffer symptoms such as dizziness, altered vision, nausea and fatigue, it has been suggested that some may also have POTS. We measured the change in heart rate on standing in 59 patients with ME/CFS, and found that 27% of them had POTS, compared with just 9% of healthy controls.
POTS is relatively common in ME/CFS patients, and their clinical evaluation should include autonomic function tests such as the response to standing.
