POTS syndrome

Patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, can experience a rapid heart beat, fainting and ...

Then, she got sick with covid in spring 2020 and her symptoms worsened to the point where she had to stop working. [Sign up for our newsletter to get tips directly in your inbox.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/well-being/?itid=lb_read-more-from-wellbeing_1) [Eating like a centenarian](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/14/centenarians-healthy-eating-habits/?itid=lb_read-more-from-wellbeing_2) can help you live a longer life. After a second covid infection in August 2021, his symptoms worsened to the point where he had to stop working in his nonprofit marketing job. Now she sits on a bench to shower, relies on grocery pickup so she doesn’t have to walk store aisles and rents a scooter for longer outings. Before she got help, she was fainting about once a week and had a fluctuating heart rate. Without a diagnostic code, POTS often got lumped in with other heart conditions, which is why it’s been difficult to track the overall number of POTS patients. This depletes vital blood flow to the brain and can result in dizziness, brain fog, or fainting. “There’s an element of dismissiveness and misogyny in the room. She needs to use a wheelchair to go longer distances and a shower chair to bathe. [there is a dire shortage](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7976723/) of medical professionals who know how to care for patients with POTS. She hasn’t been able to find a POTS specialist in her area. [2 percent to 14 percent](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9287587/) of people with covid develop POTS.