Pots disease is a neurological disorder that has no cure. It can, however, manage and treat with medications and lifestyle changes. Treatment options depend on the cause of the condition and the patient’s response to treatment. A West TN Neurology Clinic PLLC expert can provide comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for POTS disease.
Treatment
While POTS can debilitate in some cases, with the right treatment, the symptoms of the disorder can manage and you can lead a normal life. The autonomic nervous system controls a wide range of body functions, and treatment often aims at managing the disorder’s symptoms rather than its underlying cause. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy and lifestyle changes to help manage your symptoms.
Treatment for POTS should start with a complete physical exam. The doctor will also want to learn about your medical history. The symptoms of POTS can vary from person to person, so you should discuss your symptoms with your physician to determine the best treatment option for you. A thorough physical exam will require, as well as a medical history.
Symptoms of POTS typically improve over time, and symptoms often disappear completely. However, in some cases, they can persist for years. For these reasons, it is vital that you consult a doctor as soon as possible. You should also remember that POTS symptoms can also confuse with other symptoms such as anxiety, so it’s best to keep a detailed journal of your symptoms to avoid misdiagnosing.
Symptoms of POTS include chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and digestive problems, but the exact symptoms will differ. POTS often begins in early adolescence and often follows a significant illness or injury, such as a high fever. It’s thought that the hormonal changes associated with early puberty and a severe illness can cause the syndrome.
Although there are no proven medications for POTS, exercise can improve symptoms. Ideally, you should aim to do 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. However, it’s best to start slowly and build up to thirty minutes per day. Several types of exercise, such as Pilates, weight training, or recumbent exercise, can help. However, don’t overdo it because doing so can trigger symptom flares.
Diagnosis
The main goal of a diagnosis of POTS is to rule out other causes of the symptoms and to provide a definitive diagnosis. Patients with POTS should evaluate by a physician who is familiar with the disorder. Primary clinicians for this condition are primarily neurologists and cardiologists with a special interest in disorders of the ANS.
POTS occurs in up to one million people in the U.S., with most cases affecting women between ages 15 and 50. This syndrome causes poor blood circulation to the heart when a person rises from a seated position. It is common for people with POTS to faint when standing up, and symptoms can occur immediately or gradually. Some sufferers experience dizziness, lightheadedness, forgetfulness, rapid heart rate, pale skin and feet, and a rapid, pounding heartbeat.
Although POTS symptoms can be debilitating, most patients can function well. With proper treatment, they can attend school and work. However, they must be careful to monitor fluid and sodium intake. In addition, patients must also pay close attention to their diet and lifestyle. Proper nutrition and regular exercise can reduce the symptoms of POTS. People suffering from POTS should also consider joining a POTS support group. These groups will help reduce their feelings of isolation and help them cope with their condition.
The diagnosis of POTS begins with a detailed history and physical examination. An EKG perform to determine the heart rhythm, and a heart monitoring device may worn for 24 hours. If these symptoms persist, they may cause by another underlying condition.
Symptoms
The symptoms of POTS vary from person to person, but in many cases they are severe enough to limit daily activities and participation in the workforce. People with POTS can also experience episodes of sudden lightheadedness, tingling, brain fog, and fatigue. The condition is caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which controls blood flow, body posture, and balance. The overly rapid heart rate associated with POTS can result in chest pain and dizziness.
If you are worried that you may have POTS, it’s important to schedule a checkup with your doctor as soon as you notice the first symptoms of the disease. It’s important to monitor blood pressure and pulse daily, even when you don’t feel well. You should also take steps to prevent inflammatory reactions. One way to do this is by increasing your fluid intake. A person with POTS needs at least 7-8 cups of fluid daily and at least one liter of fluid each day.
During position changes, gravity pulls approximately 20% of the blood volume to the lower extremities. In order to increase this circulating blood volume, blood vessels constrict, allowing blood to return to the heart. With POTS, however, the blood vessels do not properly constrict during position changes, resulting in a pooling of blood in the lower extremities. This causes the heart to beat too rapidly, resulting in symptoms of syncope.
When you are experiencing symptoms of POTS, it’s important to know that the symptoms of this condition can be very debilitating. For instance, your heart rate can increase to more than 120 beats per minute when you’re standing or sitting upright. If this is the case, you may need to seek treatment. In most cases, though, the symptoms will subside once the disorder has diagnosed.
Management
POTS is a chronic condition in which the autonomic nervous system malfunctions. This system is involved in a number of body functions and its symptoms are often difficult to control. The diagnosis and treatment of POTS requires a multidisciplinary approach. Several doctor visits may be necessary to find the best treatment combination for a specific case.
Although POTS can be a debilitating condition, it can manage and the person can return to a normal lifestyle. Eventually, POTS will go away. However, some treatment options may be necessary to prevent relapses. Depending on the severity of symptoms, POTS management may require a change in lifestyle and medication.
Patients with POTS should see their family physician for a diagnostic assessment. During this visit, the family physician may refer the patient to a specialist with expertise in autonomic diseases. A cardiologist or neurologist with experience in this field should be consulted. While this specialist may not be able to treat POTS directly, he or she can prescribe medications to alleviate symptoms.
In addition to medications, exercise is also an important part of POTS disease management. It can reduce the symptoms and increase energy levels. It also helps the autonomic nervous system to regulate blood flow. Exercise is important to start slowly and work up to at least thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five days a week.
Patients with POTS must consult multiple specialists to treat the symptoms and manage the disease. The condition has numerous symptoms, and the diagnosis of this disorder is often confused with another disorder, called adrenal fatigue. As a result, the diagnosis of POTS is often misdiagnosed and underappreciated. Fortunately, increasing awareness of the disorder and the need for effective treatment is improving all over the medical world.
Research
Although the current research into Pots disease is still at an early stage, it is essential for people with this disease to know what it is not. People with POTS are constantly burdened by the symptoms they experience and the emotional stress that these symptoms cause, but hope is not lost.
There are several different treatment options for patients with POTS. The main goal of any treatment is to improve the symptoms associated with the condition. While no single therapy has been found to be effective in all patients, simple interventions such as a low-salt diet and increasing fluid intake may be helpful. Other treatments include drugs such as fludrocortisone, which can increase blood volume and narrow blood vessels, and beta receptor blocking agents.
Researchers have found that 83% of POTS patients have at least one co-morbid medical condition. Some of the most common co-morbidities include migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Several people with POTS also have autoimmune diseases and iron deficiency anaemia.
Because the symptoms of POTS vary from person to person, testing is important. Different blood tests and urine tests are necessary to rule out other conditions and determine whether the autonomic nervous system is malfunctioning. However, there are no specific labs that can diagnose POTS definitively. Patients with POTS should evaluate with a 24-hour urine sample to evaluate the levels of catecholamines and sodium in the blood.
Since there is currently no cure for POTS, treatment should focus on minimizing symptoms and preventing relapses. However, this may prove difficult given the fact that there is no cure. Treatment should involve a multidisciplinary approach and may include physicians from cardiology, neurology, psychology, physical therapy, and physiatry.
