In many cases, your primary care physician is qualified to treat POTS. For complex POTS cases, it is often helpful to have input from a neurologist or cardiologist experienced in this condition. Rehabilitation physicians can help as well in developing an exercise plan that works for you.

What kind of doctor can diagnose POTS?

Tilt tables aren't available at all hospitals, so some doctors diagnose POTS by monitoring changes in heart rate and blood pressure while the patient moves from laying down to standing up. Various types of doctors can diagnose POTS, but our survey found that cardiologists most commonly diagnose the disease.

Should you see a neurologist for POTS?

Neurologists are among the many medical specialists to whom people with POTS may present, making knowledge of this disorder important. The main symptoms of POTS are related to intolerance of upright posture (eg, standing, prolonged sitting).

What is the best treatment for POTS syndrome?

Medications like salt tablets, fludrocortisone, pyridostigmine, midodrine, and/or a beta blocker may be prescribed to help control POTS. You may be prescribed thigh-high medical compression stockings. These stockings help push the blood up from the legs to reduce POTS symptoms.

Can a neurologist help with POTS?

For a neurologist to diagnose POTS, he or she must rule out orthostatic hypotension and conditions that cause it. In addition, the patient's heart rate must increase by 30 bpm, or the heart rate must be greater than 120 bpm, within 10 minutes of standing upright.

POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

Is POTS a neurological condition?

A neurologic disorder known as POTS causes dizziness and fainting—and frustration, due to lack of awareness and inadequate treatment.

Is POTS cardiac or neurological?

POTS is a form of dysautonomia — a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. This branch of the nervous system regulates functions we don't consciously control, such as heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and body temperature.

What is the life expectancy of someone with POTS?

Life expectancy is thought to be unaffected, but disability is considerable and equivalent to that found in congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Is POTS considered a disability?

Your POTS may be considered a disability if you meet the SSA's definition of disability and meet a Blue Book listing. If your POTS does, then you may qualify for disability benefits. Other dysautonomia disorders include: Multiple system atrophy (MSA)

What can mimic POTS syndrome?

A pheochromocytoma can mimic POTS (or vice versa) because of the paroxysms of hyperadrenergic symptoms including palpitation, although pheochromocytoma patients are more likely to have these symptoms while supine than POTS patients.

How do you treat neuropathic POTS?

Treatment of Neuropathic Pots: Midodrine and Pyridostigmine. In neuropathic POTS, impaired peripheral vasoconstriction caused by adrenergic denervation can lead to peripheral venous pooling (64). Midodrine, an alpha1-adrenergic agonist, can effectively constrict peripheral vessels, and increase venous return.

Are POTS autoimmune?

New research from The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences strongly suggests postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is an autoimmune disorder and may help pave the way for a simple blood test that could help physicians diagnose the condition.

Can POTS lead to epilepsy?

Upon further research temporal lobe epilepsy/seizures can be related to POTS, and a lot of my symptoms (even ones i hadnt thought were anything) were POTS symptoms.

Does POTS show up on EKG?

Tests to assess the heart rhythm are normally performed as part of a POTS diagnosis. An EKG is performed to see if there is a normal resting heart rhythm.

Does POTS show up in blood work?

Scientists at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences have identified a simple blood test which may aid in the detection of a circulatory disorder, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).

Can a GP diagnose POTS?

When to get medical advice

See a GP if you think you have PoTS. The symptoms can have a number of causes, such as medicine or low blood pressure, so it's a good idea to get a proper diagnosis. Sometimes it can be misdiagnosed as anxiety or panic attacks.

Is POTS a lifelong condition?

The good news is that, although POTS is a chronic condition, about 80 percent of teenagers grow out of it once they reach the end of their teenage years, when the body changes of puberty are finished. Most of the time, POTS symptoms fade away by age 20. Until recovery takes place, treatment can be helpful.

Can you still work with POTS?

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) Severe disabilities can make it impossible for a sufferer to work. Social security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits are available to qualified individuals who are completely unable to work in any position for which they are qualified.

Is POTS a serious condition?

POTS is a serious condition that can significantly affect the quality of life, but it's not usually life-threatening. There is no permanent cure or standardized treatment protocol available for POTS, but various treatment options are available to manage the disease conservatively.

Can POTS cause death?

POTS is usually a benign, sometimes self-limiting condition, though rare patients have severe limitation in their activities. Severe autonomic dysfunction may directly cause death. More often, chronic disability increases the patient's susceptibility to other potentially fatal complications, such as infection.

Are you born with POTS or does it develop?

Most cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) do not appear to be inherited . However, some people with POTS do report a family history of orthostatic intolerance. This suggests that inherited factors may play a role in the development of POTS in some families.

Can POTS cause fatigue?

People with POTS experience fatigue differently. Many describe it as feeling beyond exhausted. It's as if your energy is completely depleted. The fatigue is probably hundreds of times worse than your worst flu.

Can POTS go into remission?

Some young people who do have evidence of POTS, which comes on quickly, can go into remission within a two-year period of time. One study had suggested that maybe 85% of people in this category can go into remission within a two-year period of time.

Can anxiety cause POTS symptoms?

Some of the symptoms of anxiety are similar to the symptoms of PoTS. Palpitations, nausea, light-headedness, gut symptoms, fatigue and headaches are symptoms that can occur both in anxiety and as a result of PoTS.

Can POTS damage your brain?

In PCS patients suffering from POTS, there may be damage to areas of the brain that would normally inhibit the sympathetic system. This damage may affect the cortex, the pontomedullary brainstem where the parasympathetic centres are located, or sometimes the cerebellum.