39 POTS patients at Baylor Medical Center were asked to report their symptoms, and here's how it came out:
Palpitations, 92% Lightheadedness, 87% Lightheadedness with standing, 87% Morning exacerbation of symptoms, 69% Lightheadedness with sitting, 64% Fainting, 54% Lightheadedness with laying, 36% Headache, 87% Concentration difficulty, 77% Blurry vision, 69% Word-finding difficulty, 59% Memory difficulty, 54% Tremor, 49% Fatigue, 90% Early-morning awakenings, 51% Night time awakenings, 46% Insomnia, 39% Irritable bowel symptoms, 46% Swallowing difficulty, 41% Breathing difficulty, 64% Sensitivity to hot or cold temperature, 87% Hands change color in the cold, 74% Medication sensitivity, 56% ">2 medication allergies", 33% Loose joints/double-jointed, 44% Facial flushing or rash, 77% Pain, 69% Muscle cramping, 69% Joint pain, 62% Leg pain, 56% Susceptibility to cold or infections, 44% Iron deficiency anemia, 39% Hearing loss, 28% Family history of low blood pressure, 28%
Knowing how your symptoms compare to the majority may help you and your doctor tailor your treatment plan or figure out the cause of your POTS. Plus, at least for me, it was therapeutic to see that most of us have much more going on than just tachycardia.
In my opinion, this syndrome is named after it's least bothersome symptom... so it's no wonder that outsiders think we are whiners. If POTS were called "Inability to Stand, Walk, Eat, Sleep or Think Syndrome", we would probably be taken more seriously.
If you want to see even more symptoms, or how often POTS patients experience various symptoms, check out our findings on symptom frequency here from the POTS Patient-Powered Survey. For less common symptoms reported by POTS patients, see this finding.
We have lots more findings here, or to receive occasional email updates on new findings, you can sign up on our homepage. Be well!