Be still my heart: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in a post COVID-19 world

Abstract

Postural orthostatic tachycardic syndrome (POTS) is a chronic heterogeneous disorder of the autonomic nervous system, and symptoms of POTS have been described since the 1800s. Often, POTS goes undiagnosed for months to years, and can cause significant morbidity and lifestyle challenges for patients. It is hypothesized that viral infections are a potent trigger for the development of POTS and other syndromes of the autonomic nervous system. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in patients presenting with autonomic symptoms after COVID-19 infection, also known as Long COVID POTS (LC-POTS). The pathophysiology of POTS and LC-POTS may be somewhat distinct; however, management of both disease entities is similar, with a focus on conservative, nonpharmacologic treatment.