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Occupational therapists are urged to ‘ Take a stand for PoTS ’
The charity PoTS UK has launched a campaign , ‘ Take a stand for PoTS ’, to raise awareness of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome ( PoTS ) and in particular its link with Long COVID .
There have been several case reports describing PoTS and other types of orthostatic intolerance ( symptoms worse when upright ) after COVID infections , and the aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the condition among health professionals , including occupational therapists , so that they can support people with PoTS get the diagnosis and treatment they need .
Dr Lesley Kavi , visiting professor , Birmingham City University , RCGP Syncope Clinical Champion , and trustee and chair of PoTS UK says : ‘ PoTS is a long-term health condition that was recognised and named in 1993 . When affected people stand up ( or sit up ), their blood vessels are unable to narrow efficiently to maintain their blood pressure .
‘ To compensate for falling blood pressure , the heart races and other changes occur within the body . Consequently , people experience many symptoms when upright , the commonest of which are heart palpitations , dizziness and fatigue . Other symptoms include difficulty concentrating ( brain fog ), chest pains , sweating , shaking , abdominal pains , other gut problems , headaches and fainting .
‘ Long Covid symptoms are very similar to symptoms of PoTS , and there can be a risk that it is overlooked in patients with a wide range of symptoms . To be diagnosed with PoTS a patient must experience symptoms for over three months and have a persistent increase of 30 beats per minute in their heart rate on standing ( 40bpm in teenagers ).
‘ In December 2020 , the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ) recommended that people who have Long Covid symptoms should have an active stand test ( lying and standing blood pressures and heart rate for up to 10 minutes ) to check for PoTS and low blood pressure .
‘ However , PoTS UK is aware that many affected patients are not being offered this test . This is of concern , as there are treatments available for PoTS that will improve patients ’ symptoms and quality of life .
‘ The number of healthcare professionals familiar with diagnosing and managing PoTS was insufficient before the pandemic . Many areas of the UK have no specialists , and where services exist , waiting lists for patients to be assessed can be over a year .
‘ Often people who can ill-afford it are advised to seek private healthcare for diagnosis and treatment . In 2017 , NHS England agreed that that patients were not well served by existing services , and yet little has changed , and in fact a number of services have been reduced or closed . We invite occupational therapists throughout the UK to Take a stand for PoTS .’
Nominations now open for the Scottish Health Awards 2021
Nominations are now open for the Scottish Health Awards 2021 , which recognise not only the outstanding contribution of frontline health and social care workers , but also shine a light on those who work so hard behind the scenes in support roles to ensure Scotland has the highest standard of health and care services . Since March 2020 , NHS Scotland and its partners across health and social care have risen to the challenge of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic . The NHS was put on an emergency footing – maintaining urgent care , flexing capacity from paused services to meet demand and developing innovative ways of working .
Those working across health and social care have shown incredible resolve and flexibility , in many cases being deployed into new roles and into new ways of working across the health and social care system . There has never been a better time to recognise and acknowledge the achievements and success of those working in health and social care during this challenging period .
There are 16 award categories , including a
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