A doctor has shared the different “non-specific” symptoms that could actually all be down to one health issue that’s becoming more common
A doctor has highlighted a becoming more common – but it takes “months and years” to diagnose. Dr Ahmed, a GP with a following of more than 303,000 on TikTok (@dra_says), regularly shares his expertise and experiences.
In a recent video, Dr Ahmed shared symptoms he sees regularly in patients, which can at first appear as “non-specific” but are actually linked to one syndrome.
In a recent video that has garnered over 743k views and more than 6,000 likes, he discusses a health problem he says “lots of people” are asking about. The doctor shared the symptoms and courses of treatment for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).
PoTS is when your heart rate increases very quickly after getting up from sitting or lying down, often making you feel dizzy or lightheaded, according to the NHS. There’s currently no cure, but it can be managed with changes to your lifestyle, or sometimes treatment with medicines.
PoTS is a chronic condition that is relapsing and remitting, meaning you may have periods of worse symptoms and periods of relatively few symptoms. Dr Ahmed’s clip was captioned: “Lots of people now asking about this. We still don’t have very good treatment plans and more work needs to be done to help come up with a effective treatment. Educational purposes only.”
In the almost two minute-long video, the doctor said: “Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded, shaky, have a fast heart rate? And this is all worse when you stand up? You could have this. I’m Doctor A, a GP Based in the UK and in the last year lots of people have been asking about this, and more and more people have been diagnosed with it – and it’s PoTS or postural tachycardia syndrome.
“So often what happens is that people come in with a very non-specific symptom like light-headedness, chest palpitations or feeling dizzy, I will do all the blood test examinations and we can’t really find anything.
“And then this carries on and eventually they get referred to a specialist and get diagnosed with PoTS. And this usually takes many, many months and even years.
“Here are some signs and symptoms that can give away whether you have PoTS or not. So the very basis of PoTS is that your heart rate increases when you stand up.
“Now, there are other symptoms you can have as well that also get worse when you stand up and these can include things like feeling dizzy, light-headedness, chest pains, palpitations, sweating and shaking.
“However, on top of all this, there are other symptoms you can get as well that are present all the time. And these symptoms can be so varied and can range from gastrointestinal symptoms like feeling bloated all the time, excessive wind, diarrhoea, constipation, problems with thinking and memory.
“And you can get brain fog, discolouration of your hands and feet and they can go purple, or even feeling very weak and extremely fatigued. Now we don’t fully know what causes PoTS but generally things like trauma, pregnancy, viral illnesses and major surgery have been known to start POTS.
“Personally speaking, if I see anyone and their heart rate goes up a lot and they go from sitting to standing, I always consider PoTS. There are specialist tests we use to confirm the diagnosis and they can range from blood tests, urine tests and specialist heart tests like an ECG, echocardiogram or 24 hour monitoring of your heart.
“If you are diagnosed with PoTS, treatment plants can vary massively and can range from no medication at all and just physio and rehab, to medication which can include SSRIs [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors], beta blockers, alpha blockers and steroids.”
Symptoms of PoTS, according to the NHS
PoTS affects everyone differently; some people have mild symptoms, while for others it can have a big impact on their everyday lives. Some symptoms happen when you stand up and can get better when you sit or lie down, such as:
- dizziness or light-headedness
- noticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- shaking and sweating
- fainting or nearly fainting
You may also get other symptoms, such as:
- problems with your stomach or digestion, such as feeling sick, being sick, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and tummy pain
- headaches and problems with your sight, such as blurred vision or tunnel vision
- your hands and feet looking purple – this may be more difficult to see if you have brown or black skin
- weakness and extreme tiredness (fatigue), not being able to do much exercise, and sleeping badly
- problems with thinking, memory and concentration (brain fog)
You may find your symptoms are worse in the morning, and they may change from day to day.
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