A new study conducted by the researchers of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has found that a drug used for heart failure improves symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), one of the potential COVID long-hauler symptoms.
POTS is a debilitating disorder that affects the body’s autonomic nervous system, increasing the heart rate usually while standing.
The study, published online Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, investigated the drug called ivabradine (brand name: Procoralan) and its effects on heart rate, plasma norepinephrine levels in people living with POTS, and their quality of life.
Norepinephrine is one of the brain chemicals and stress hormones, which is used to measure sympathetic nervous system activity.
Study author Dr. Pam Taub said, “Ivabradine is a novel agent that’s FDA-approved for heart failure, but based on its mechanism we thought it could be helpful for patients with POTS as it reduces heart rate without impacting blood pressure. When we can lower the heart rate, we’re providing these patients with the ability to stand up, something they couldn’t do without difficulty before due to their POTS diagnosis.”
The researchers examined 22 patients whose average age was 32 years between 2018 and 2020.
Dr. Taub said, “Before the study, these patients would be living with elevated heart rates ranging between 100 and 115 beats per minute when standing. After taking ivabradine twice a day for one month, the standing heart rate decreased significantly to around 77 beats per minute compared to the placebo group.”
“Participants also reported improvement in quality of life measures when on the drug,” she added.
Typically, POTS is caused by a viral infection, surgery, trauma, or enforced bed rest. It commonly affects young women who are either athletes or highly active. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs for POTS and the condition could affect one’s quality of life.
The signs and symptoms of POTS include brain fog, lightheadedness, palpitations, tremors, weakness, blurry vision, and fatigue, according to Medical Xpress.
Recently, experts have identified POTS as one of the potential “long-hauler” symptoms of COVID.
Dr. Jonathan Hsu of UCSD said, “In our contemporary practice, we are seeing patients who have previously been infected with COVID-19 present with symptoms consistent with POTS. Given the similarities, this study leads to the question of whether therapy with ivabradine may help patients who experience similar symptoms after a COVID-19 infection, and provide an important area for future study as well.”
The researchers believe that ivabradine is an effective treatment option for patients who are diagnosed with POTS. However, the FDA has not yet approved the drug for the condition.
Dr. Taub said, “Similar to patients with COVID-19, patients with POTS need to be followed carefully. Treatment for POTS needs to be personalized for each individual and with this drug, paired with lifestyle therapy, including exercises specific for POTS, we hope we will see more individuals overcome this unfortunate condition.” The article was published Monday on Medical Xpress.
