EDS Fact 9 - Why we Swoon

Have you ever stood up and gotten light headed? Most of us have at one point or another. For some of us we have something called P.O.T.S. (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). What does that mean really?

Signs and Symptoms 

While the diagnostic criteria focus on the abnormal heart rate increase upon standing, POTS usually presents with symptoms much more complex than a simple increase in heart rate. It is fairly common for POTS patients to have a drop in blood pressure upon standing, but some POTS patients have no change or even an increase in blood pressure upon standing.1 POTS patients often have hypovolemia (low blood volume) and high levels of plasma norepinephrine while standing, reflecting increased sympathetic nervous system activation.3 Approxiamtely 50% of POTS patients have a small fiber neuropathy that impacts their sudomotor nerves. Many POTS patients also experience fatigue, headaches, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, exercise intolerance, nausea, diminished concentration, tremulousness (shaking), syncope (fainting), coldness or pain in the extremeties, chest pain and shortness of breath.1,3,4 Patients can develop a reddish purple color in the legs upon standing, believed to be caused by blood pooling or poor circulation. The color change subsides upon returning to a reclined position.

So, we can have problems with lightheadedness, fainting, headaches, fatigue, shaking, pain in the legs/arms, chest pain and shortness of breath for nothing other than just standing up! What does this mean for us?

Quality-of-Life and Disability 

Some patients have fairly mild symptoms and can continue with normal work, school, social and recreational activities. For others, symptoms may be so severe that normal life activities, such as bathing, housework, eating, sitting upright, walking or standing can be significantly limited.1,3 Physicians with expertise in treating POTS have compared the functional impairment seen in POTS patients to the impairment seen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or congestive heart failure.1 Approximately 25% of POTS patients are disabled and unable to work.1 Researchers found that quality-of-life in POTS patients is comparable to patients on dialysis for kidney failure.21, 22 

So, we might not seem any different to you. We look just like everyone else, can do things like most people, but then sometimes we have unexpected limitations. Nothing is quite more annoying than when your body is almost normal.


Source - http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30