<h1>POTS Show Up Out of The Blue? You May Need to Check for APS</h1>

In a recent paper by Dr.Jill R. Schofield, MD, Professor Graham Hughes, Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld, and Dr. Svetlana Blitshteyn on the clinical association of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and APS, there appears to be evidence that for cases of POTS that seem to appear without a cause may be related to APS and symptoms may be improved by using treatments associated with APS. (read full abstract here)

What is APS? APS is an autoimmune disorder where different antiphospholipid antibodies work against against clotting factors, platelets, or cells that line blood vessel walls and cause blood to become sticky, leading to an increased risk of blood clots in arteries, veins, and placenta (resulting in miscarriage, still birth and low birth weight). And APS isn't that rare, but it is severely underdiagnosed and is estimated to affect approximately 1% of the population in the U.S.

Dr. Schofield says that "because this is a newly described clinical association, we have a lot to learn.  At this time, I believe all POTS patients should be tested for APS; other physicians might disagree.  At the very least, I believe all POTS patients with any of the following should be tested for APS: migraine, memory loss, balance trouble, livedo reticularis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, history of miscarriage, another autoimmune condition, a family history of blood clots or a family history of autoimmune disease. These were the most common findings in the patients in our study.  Also, of note, three of the 15 APS patients included our study also had Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS)."

If APS is detected, Dr. Schofield believes POTS-caused by or related to APS might improve with a trial of anticoagulants such as aspirin, clopidogrel, heparin, warfarin and/or IVIG. This is why she suggests that any patients with a POTS diagnosis with no apparent cause should be tested for APS. And true, using anticoagulants can increase the risk of bleeding, however, the benefits may outweigh the risk if the hyper-coagulative nature of APS can be brought back into balance with these agents and improve or eliminate the POTS symptoms.

As always, to get the very best help with anything POTS, dysautonomia or MVP syndrome-related, make sure you contact Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips have over 40 years combined experience with accurate diagnosis and successful autonomic disorder treatment and they are your fastest track to wellness in these areas.

Make an appointment today at their new treatment center at 205-286-3200. All of the staff at Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC look forward to serving you!



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