Prognosis of patients with postural tachycardia syndrome: a follow-up study

Background: Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) refers to the presence of orthostatic intolerance symptoms associated with a heart rate increment of greater than 30 beats/min, usually up to 120 beats/min, on head-up tilt test. Symptoms related to POTS are usually light-headedness, palpitations and tremor, but syncope can also occur. The pathophysiology of POTS is heterogeneous and its prognosis is uncertain. Methods: We prospectively evaluated patients who met the criteria for POTS, at baseline and follow-up, using composite autonomic symptom scores and autonomic tests to assess the autonomic function. We compared the clinical and autonomic test results between baseline and follow-up. Results: Sixty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria for POTS and forty-five patients were ultimately followed up for at least 1 year after baseline. The patients were predominantly young females (84%), with a mean age of 21 years. Most patients showed improved orthostatic symptoms and more than a quarter of patients had no longer met the criteria for POTS at follow-up. Conclusions: Most patients had a benign outcome in that they could resume their daily activities without great limitations. Our results demonstrated a relatively favorable prognosis in most patients with POTS.