Long COVID study finds strong overlap with POTS
A study from Adelaide University found that nearly two-thirds of Long COVID patients meet the diagnostic criteria for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). The findings suggest a potential physiological link between the two conditions.
Why it matters
Identifying a link between Long COVID and POTS could lead to better diagnostic tools and more effective treatments for patients suffering from chronic post-viral symptoms.
Almost two-thirds of people with Long COVID in a small Adelaide study met the diagnostic criteria for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, raising the prospect that the condition may be contributing to symptoms including dizziness, fatigue, brain fog and a racing heart.
Researchers from Adelaide University and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute compared 24 people with Long COVID, 24 people diagnosed with POTS and 19 healthy participants. The cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2021 and December 2022.
Participants underwent a 10-minute standing test, 24-hour heart monitoring and blood tests examining inflammatory markers and adrenergic autoantibodies.
Heart rates increased by an average of 46 beats per minute after standing among participants with POTS and by 35 beats per minute among those with Long COVID. The average increase among healthy participants was 13 beats per minute.
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