NEW DELHI: An unusual heart rhythm disorder, also known as Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), is more common in people with long Covid, according to a study.
The study found that the condition, where the heart beats abnormally fast when changing position from lying down to standing up, is more common in middle-aged women than men.
For people affected with POTS, standing up is a challenge. Their hearts beat faster than normal at rest and during exertion. Patients also experience fatigue and difficulties concentrating -- symptoms that are common in long Covid.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that POTS occurs in almost a third of patients with severe long Covid.
"Previous, smaller studies have shown that there is a connection, but now we can say with certainty that POTS is a very common condition in patients with long Covid. This is valuable knowledge for both health care professionals and patients, " said Mikael Björnson, doctoral student at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.
The study, published in the journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, examined 467 patients with severe long Covid who had not been hospitalised for Covid-19.
Ninety-one per cent were middle-aged women who were essentially healthy and physically active before they developed long Covid.