Many COVID long-haulers find that their ongoing symptoms significantly interfere with everyday life. Long COVID has been linked to several health complications, and a recent study has shown that COVID-19 may also be linked to a debilitating heart condition known as POTS. Learn what this may mean for you or a loved one.

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/covid-19-linked-to-crippling-heart-condition-pots-158971973791

Long COVID takes a toll on everyday activities

Thirty-four-year-old Hannah Davis had an active, energetic life before becoming getting COVID-19. Like millions of other Americans, Davis continues to experience debilitating symptoms years after recovering from the infection.

“I can no longer do 80-90% of the activities I used to love to do,” she says. 

Her most difficult symptoms are related to a heart condition she’s developed called POTS. “When I’m upright, my heart rate is much much higher. It can get up to 150,160,170 [bpm] very easily.”

What is POTS?

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a condition that affects the body’s autonomic nervous system, the collection of nerves that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and other unconscious functions. POTS is generally not life-threatening, but it can significantly impact daily activities. 

Like Davis, someone with POTS typically experiences an increased heart rate when standing up. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including:

• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches 
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Shakiness
• Sweating 

Scientists aren’t sure what causes POTS, but people who have had a serious illness or physical injury, and those who are pregnant, are at a higher risk.

COVID-19 may increase your risk

Evidence from a recent study showed that people who contracted COVID-19 were five times more likely to develop POTS than those who had not been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Researchers also found that even those who received the COVID vaccine were at an increased risk, but at a much lower rate.

Mitchell Miglis, M.D., an autonomic disorders specialist and POTS expert with Stanford University, has seen an influx of patients at his POTS clinic since the onset of COVID-19. “Unfortunately, our waitlist is currently between six and 12 months,” he says.

POTS can be difficult to diagnose. Not all physicians are familiar with the condition, and some people require specialized testing. There is also no specialized treatment or cure for POTS, though doctors have recommended certain medications, and lifestyle changes that include increased hydration and sodium intake, and specific types of exercise.

Davis says she feels lucky to have been diagnosed within three months of getting COVID. “This whole experience has been very strange, and surprising, and I never imagined I would be as public about some of this stuff as I would end up being.”

*Kristen Dahlgren. (2022, December 29). COVID-19 linked to crippling heart condition POTS. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/video/covid-19-linked-to-crippling-heart-condition-pots-158971973791