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Long COVID is becoming a growing problem. It is difficult to say in whom it will occur, it is known that it already affects millions of people and is not protected against it by mild illness. According to the CDC, long COVID is “a set of various debilitating symptoms”. However, doctors are particularly concerned about the cardiovascular effects. The biggest surprise for them was the POTS syndrome. Even the best specialists may find it difficult to diagnose it correctly, admitted prof. Artur Fedorowski from Karolinska University Hospital.
- POTS syndrome, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, is a blood circulation disorder related to disturbances in the autonomic nervous system (regulates functions that we do not consciously control, including heart rate, blood pressure)
- Symptoms of POTS include dizziness (sometimes with fainting), difficulty concentrating (brain fog), tiredness, headache, blurred vision, palpitations, nausea
- Medics note that POTS affects more and more people with long-term COVID. Especially young women
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Complications after COVID-19. Doctors are concerned about the cardiovascular effects
The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet, but scientists and doctors are seeing another problem with SARS-CoV-2. These are complications after infection with the virus, the so-called long COVID. Specialists have no doubts that this disease will gain in importance. It is not known exactly how many people suffer from long COVID. “Medical News Today” (“MNT”) points to an unreviewed study, according to which by August 2021, COVID debts have developed about 43 percent. people who tested positive for COVID-19 and more than half of the patients hospitalized for COVID-XNUMX. What is he actually?
Long COVID causes what the US agency CDC (Centers for Disease Control) describes as “a set of various debilitating symptoms”, which in turn negatively affects the functioning of many organs. These symptoms may appear even a few months after recovery, even if we have been slightly ill. One aspect of long-term COVID that most physicians worry about is the cardiovascular consequences.
Further part below the video.
The study, published in February in Nature Medicine, shows that people who have had COVID-19 are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems one year after their illness. Among the threats, scientists mention, among others cerebrovascular disorders, arrhythmias, ischemic disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure and thromboembolism. What’s more, the risk also concerned people who had no problems with the circulatory system, hypertension, diabetes or obesity before falling ill. And also those who have had a milder coronavirus infection. The syndrome that surprised scientists the most in connection with long-term COVID is the so-called POTS.
- “I’ve been suffering from COVID debts for two years now.” More and more people are struggling with this disease
What is POTS, where does it come from and what are its symptoms
The full name of the POTS syndrome sounds rather complicated: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. When we break it down into prime factors, more is known: the term syndrome: refers to a group of symptoms; postural: to the body position; orthostatic: associated with standing upright; tachycardia: increased heart rate. POTS is therefore a blood circulation disorder characterized by two factors:
- A group of symptoms that often occur when standing.
- When we change the position from lying to standing (horizontal to vertical), the heart rate increases by at least 30 beats per minute in adults or at least 40 beats per minute in adolescents (measured during the first 10 minutes of standing).
POTS is described as a dysautonomic phenomenon, i.e. affecting the autonomic nervous system (AUN), which controls key body functions independent of our will, including heart rate and blood pressure. Symptoms of POTS range from dizziness on standing up to tachycardia (abnormally fast heart rate), palpitations, shortness of breath, and digestive symptoms. This heterogeneity of symptoms can make the diagnosis of POTS difficult. Prof. Fedorowski notes that even the best specialists may find it difficult to correctly diagnose POTS. Medical News Today points out that doctors often mistake them for anxiety disorders due to symptoms such as increased heart rate and palpitations in both cases.
- New complications have been discovered after COVID-19. “We don’t want to hear about it, but it’s important”
The mechanisms behind POTS are not yet well understood. One study suggests that people with this problem have elevated inflammatory biomarkers. This, in turn, may suggest a condition of chronic inflammation. It is also possible that it may be associated with various chronic conditions, including diabetes and lupus, as well as genetic factors.
Who is at risk of POTS after COVID-19 and why?
POTS is not a new phenomenon, but medics note that it affects more and more people with long-term COVID. Prof. Fedorowski admitted in «MNT» that he and his colleagues from Karolinska University Hospital observed the influx of people with long-term COVID, whose doctors referred for POTS treatment. According to the researcher, after almost two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of referrals for POTS rehabilitation “has doubled or tripled”.
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A similar observation is made by Dr. Tae Chung, Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medicine, director of the Johns Hopkins POTS program. The medic notes that he and his colleagues “had at least two or three times more referrals” compared to the pre-pandemic numbers. Current data indicate that the people most often diagnosed with POTS in long COVID are young women (in general, POTS is more common in women than in men). Prof. Fedorowski speculates that this may be related to the high levels of stress caused by, for example, the higher burden of caring for children.
- How will you know when stress is having a negative effect on your health? [WE EXPLAIN]
POTS is an incurable condition, but patients’ health can be improved. According to the Johns Hopkins POTS program, a combination of appropriate medications, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes can help. Research into long-term COVID-related POTS and best treatments is ongoing. As «MNT» notes, there is hope that in the not too distant future targeted drugs can solve what until now seemed impossible to solve ».
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