Abstract
Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a fairly common condition that may or may not be associated with autonomic neuropathy. In a retrospective analysis, we compared two groups of patients based on clinical and autonomic criteria, those with POTS in isolation (POTS-Alone), and POTS with evidence of autonomic neuropathy (POTS-AN). Of 260 records reviewed, 57 patients met the criteria for POTS; 38 (67%) patients assigned to the POTS-Alone group and 19 (33%) patients assigned to the POTS-AN group. A decreased sweat output on the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test is the most frequent abnormal finding in the POST-AN group suggesting sympathetic cholinergic neuropathy. Clinically, headache and gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent among the POTS-AN group. Therefore, POTS may exist in isolation and may differ from those associated with AN.
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This work presented at the 55th annual meeting of the Annual Academy of Neurology, Honolulu, Hawaii, March 2003.
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Al-Shekhlee, A., Lindenberg, J.R., Hachwi, R.N. et al. The value of autonomic testing in postural tachycardia syndrome. Clin Auton Res 15, 219–222 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-005-0282-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-005-0282-7