What is POTS? Explaining the syndrome affecting Christina Applegate’s daughter Sadie
26.06.2024 - 13:57
/ nypost.com
Applegate’s “MeSsy” podcast, Sadie opened up about her condition, “I have something called POTS. I have no clue what it actually is, but it’s something to do with the autonomic nervous system and it affects my heart. When I stand up, I get really, really dizzy and my legs get really weak and I feel like I’m going to pass out.”Sadie said her diagnosis has given her newfound compassion for and common ground with her mom, 52, who has multiple sclerosis.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, POTS is a chronic disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system and blood circulation. It’s characterized by an extreme increase in heart rate when a person is standing. Although POTS is part of the broader category of dysautonomia, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, POTS specifically involves the cardiovascular system’s response to standing up from a reclined position.
Symptoms of POTS include brain fog, fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, headaches, blurry vision, palpitations, excessive sweat, pallor, intolerance of physical activity, tremors and nausea. Symptoms of POTS worsen in warm environments, situations that require a lot of standing. Dehydration, hunger, and a common cold or infection also exacerbate symptoms of POTS.In some cases, POTS symptoms are so severe a person cannot be upright for more than a few minutes at a time, seriously affecting quality of life.
Sadie — whom Applegate shares with her husband, Martyn LeNoble — recalled visiting the school nurse several times a day as a sixth grader. “In class, if I were to stand up then, I would be like, ‘I have to go to the nurse. I can’t do this.’ Or I’ll be in PE, and I’ll be like, ‘I have to go to the nurse,’” she said.“They were like, ‘You’re doing this to get
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