A new study, titled "Apparent risks of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnoses after COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-Cov-2 Infection" published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, has verified the association between a devastating cardiac problem and COVID-19, as well as a unique association between the same ailment and COVID-19 vaccination.
According to the findings, a tiny fraction of individuals who received COVID-19 vaccines may develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The researchers also discovered that COVID-19 patients are five times more likely to have POTS after infection than after vaccination, highlighting the value of vaccines.
Link Between COVID-19 and POTS
A significant symptom of POTS is a fast pulse rise of more than 30 beats per minute, or a heart rate of more than 120 beats per minute, after standing for 10 minutes. Anxiety, dizziness, exhaustion, fainting, increased urination, migraine, sweaty extremities, and tremor are some of the other symptoms.
Researchers conducted studies between 2020 to 2022 to determine how frequently POTS developed after vaccination and following a COVID-19 infection in patients at the Cedars-Sinai Health System in California, WebMD reported. They collected data from 12,460 unvaccinated patients who had COVID-19 infection as part of the trial.
Moreover, they also analyzed data from 284,592 vaccinated Cedars-Sinai patients. About 62% of the participants received Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, while 31% received Moderna, and 6.9% received Johnson & Johnson.
Cardiovascular specialist Alan C. Kwan, MD, the first and corresponding author of the study, said that their analysis showed that the odds of developing POTS are higher within 90 days after vaccine exposure compared to before being vaccinated. Kwan added that the "relative odds of POTS were higher than would be explained by increases in visits to physicians after vaccination or infection."
Nonetheless, POTS as a result of either COVID-19 infection or vaccination appeared to respond to typical treatment, like managing hydration, taking salt tablets, exercising, and wearing compression socks.
COVID-19 Pandemic Brought on POTS Awareness
POTS was a poorly known illness that affected 1 to 3 million people in the United States, the majority of whom were women, before the pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is not life-threatening, although there is a risk of falling when fainting. It is a nervous system illness despite most of its noticeable sign is an increase in heart rate,
POTS expert Tae Chung, MD, wrote in the Johns iHopkins Medicine article that the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary functions, and any malfunction of these areas can cause symptoms that can be shared by other conditions. Doctors unfamiliar with POTS may dismiss these symptoms as long COVID or even psychological symptoms.
Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, said in a press release that the pandemic unexpectedly brought awareness to POTS, both to patients and healthcare providers. Due to that, patients tend to be diagnosed more quickly and they receive earlier interventions.
The study's findings indicate that people diagnosed with COVID-19 are five times at risk of developing POTS compared to getting a vaccination, which emphasizes the importance of receiving the vaccine. The main message of the study is that vaccination is still the best way to reduce the risk of POTS.
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