Faculty Collaboration Database

Comorbid Conditions Do Not Differ in Children and Young Adults with Functional Disorders with or without Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. J Pediatr 2015 Jul;167(1):120-4

Date

04/29/2015

Pubmed ID

25917768

DOI

10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.03.039

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84937520571 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   40 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine if several multisystem comorbid conditions occur more frequently in subjects with tilt-table defined postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) compared with those without.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of 67 subjects aged 6-24 years, referred to a tertiary care neurogastroenterology and autonomic disorders clinic for a constellation of functional gastrointestinal, chronic pain, and autonomic complaints. All patients underwent formal autonomic testing, Beighton scores assessment for joint hypermobility (0-9), and fibromyalgia tender points (0-18) (43 subjects).

RESULTS: Twenty-five subjects (37%) met tilt table criteria for POTS. The median age of 16 years (range, 12-24 years) in the POTS group differed from 15 years (range, 6-21 years) in the no-POTS group (P = .03). Comorbidities including chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, syncope, migraines, functional gastrointestinal disorders, chronic nausea, fibromyalgia, and joint hypermobility did not differ between groups. All subjects with fibromyalgia by tender point-examination had a Beighton score ≥ 4 (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid conditions are equally prevalent in children and young adults with and without tilt-table defined POTS, suggesting that POTS itself is not a cause of the other comorbidities. Instead, POTS likely reflects another comorbid condition in children with functional disorders. Dizziness and syncope, classically associated with POTS, are not predictive of a diagnosis of POTS by tilt table, a test that is still required for formal diagnosis. These results suggest a paradigm shift in the concept of POTS as the physiological basis of many functional symptoms.

Author List

Chelimsky G, Kovacic K, Nugent M, Mueller A, Simpson P, Chelimsky TC

Authors

Katja K. Karrento MD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Pippa M. Simpson PhD Adjunct Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Child
Chronic Disease
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dizziness
Fatigue
Female
Fibromyalgia
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Humans
Joint Instability
Male
Migraine Disorders
Nausea
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Retrospective Studies
Sleep Wake Disorders
Syncope
Young Adult