Are there new symptoms of COVID-19? Critical care doctor warns: "Lie down and then stand up" may cause dizziness, palpitations, and cold sweats
Are there new symptoms of the sequelae of “COVID-19”? Study: The incidence rate of “postural tachycardia” reaches 100%
After being diagnosed with COVID-19, the sequelae “Long Covid” may not only easily cause symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, loss of smell and taste, and difficulty concentrating, but may even lead to Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. , POTS) risks?
Dr. Huang Xuan, an expert in critical care medicine, explained in a social post that the definition of POTS syndrome is: when the posture is changed from supine to upright, the heartbeat increases by more than 30 beats per minute within 10 minutes (more than 40 beats in children or adolescents), or The heartbeat after standing upright exceeds 120 beats per minute, and the blood pressure does not drop, and is accompanied by the aforementioned symptoms of upright posture intolerance.
Dr. Huang Xuan further pointed out that according to a paper published by the Dutch research team in “MDPI”, the research team targeted two groups of people, namely 14 patients with COVID-19 and 14 patients with myalgia caused by Epstein-Barr virus (human herpes virus type 4). Patients with encephalomyelitis (ME) are diagnosed with POTS. The results showed that 43% of people infected with EB virus developed POTS symptoms after standing upright from a supine position, and 100% of patients with COVID-19 developed POTS-related symptoms.
Cerebral blood flow is reduced by 26-33%. You may feel dizzy, palpitated, or sweat when you stand up after lying down.
Researchers have also conducted tests to investigate whether POTS occurs in patients with COVID-19 after changing their posture, which can easily lead to dizziness, fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, memory problems, nausea, cold sweats, palpitations, headaches and other symptoms. . In addition, studies have pointed out that when POTS occurs, the blood flow in the brain of patients with COVID-19 is reduced by 26-33%, which may be the main cause of the above symptoms.
Dr. Huang Xuan said that the symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis caused by Epstein-Barr virus infection are similar to the reduced cerebral blood flow caused by POTS. From the results of this trial, we can know that long COVID-19 is related to the occurrence of POTS; and compared with EBV patients, patients with long COVID-19 are more likely to develop POTS. However, the number of samples in this study is still insufficient, and more data are needed to clarify the relationship between COVID-19 and POTS.
What should I do if POTS occurs in patients with COVID-19? The research team urges: Keep in mind the “three major things”
The research team reminds COVID-19 patients that if they experience discomfort due to POTS in daily life, in addition to seeking medical attention in time, they should also pay attention to the following three major matters:
Patients with COVID-19 should not stand up suddenly from lying down or squatting down, otherwise it may easily cause postural tachycardia syndrome, resulting in dizziness and falling.
During any exercise or posture change in daily life, pay more attention to your own safety, or have someone with you to prevent falls. If symptoms occur, you should take appropriate rest and even avoid activities that require frequent changes in posture, such as cycling, jogging, and ball games.
If COVID-19 patients develop symptoms related to POTS, they should sit or lie down immediately to improve dizziness or sudden confusion. If your symptoms do not improve, you must seek medical treatment immediately and obtain assistance from medical resources.
Finally, Dr. Huang Xuan appealed to the public that Omicron virus is still raging in the community, so personal epidemic prevention measures such as maintaining social distance, washing hands frequently and wearing masks still need to be sufficient. In addition, eligible people should also take the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, which will not only help to extend the protection of the vaccine, but also avoid serious sequelae of COVID-19, and even cause concerns about POTS syndrome.
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