Christina Applegate‘s daughter Sadie recently revealed she has been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, raising questions about the condition.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, POTS causes your heart to beat faster than normal when you sit or lie down.
“Your body’s autonomic nervous system balances your heart rate and blood pressure to keep your blood flowing at a healthy pace, no matter what position your body is in. If you have POTS, your body cannot coordinate the balancing act of blood vessel contraction (squeezing) and the heart rate response,” the clinic’s website explains. “This means your body cannot keep your blood pressure steady and stable.”
During Tuesday’s episode of Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s podcast “Messy,” Sadie, 13, explained that she feels dizzy and weak in her legs when she stands up.
“I feel like I’m going to pass out. I’ve fainted before, but not like this usually. It’s only on really bad days when it’s really hot outside,” Sadie said.
The clinic’s website states that while POTS isn’t life-threatening, it “can cause significant disruption to daily life and function.”
Other celebrities have also come forward about their experience with POTS, including singer halseywho revealed her diagnosis in 2022, and television personality Bethenny Frankel, who opened up about her diagnosis last year.
Here are other things to know about this condition:
Symptoms of POTS
According to Johns Hopkins, symptoms of POTS vary from person to person, but commonly include:
- Tiredness
- dizziness that can lead to fainting
- brain fog
- fast heartbeat or heart failure
- nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- excessive sweating
- instability
- Exercise Challenges
- Pale face and purple colour of hands and feet if the organs are below the heart level
Symptoms may also be worse in hot environments, when standing for long periods of time, when you have a cold or infection, and when you don’t consume enough fluids and salt, Johns Hopkins says.
POTS and COVID
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, POTS often begins after pregnancy, major surgery, trauma, or viral illness — and it’s associated with: COVID-19 Very.
“The most common trigger of POTS is a viral infection. This includes viruses such as influenza and parvovirus, and COVID-19,” said Dr. Svetlana Blitshtein, neurologist and director of the Dysautonomia Clinic. CBS Pittsburgh first reported,
Blitshteyn is one of the researchers who studied this common syndrome for some long-term patients like Jared Arfa, who was diagnosed with POTS about a year after having COVID.
“These patients are young people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who were previously healthy or had minor medical problems that had no impact on their lives and are now complaining of extreme fatigue, dizziness, headaches, inability to exercise and inability to perform certain tasks,” Blitshtein said.
POTS Treatment
There’s no cure for POTS, but there are a number of treatment options — including dietary changes, exercise regimes and medications — that can help deal with the symptoms.
It is important to talk to a professional to help determine the appropriate treatment plan for you and your symptoms.
