Quick Summary
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is an autonomic disorder where heart rate spikes after standing. Many are told it is anxiety. Diagnosis needs patterns across time, not snapshots. Aether connects reports, vitals, and symptoms so trends become clear sooner.
What is POTS
POTS affects the body’s ability to regulate blood flow when moving from lying or sitting to standing. A commonly used threshold is an increase in heart rate of 30 beats per minute or more within 10 minutes of standing in adults, without a major blood pressure drop. See clear overviews from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the NHS.
- Dizziness or fainting after standing
- Palpitations and chest discomfort
- Brain fog and fatigue
- Nausea or digestive issues
- Exercise intolerance and slow recovery
Why it gets mistaken for anxiety
Symptoms overlap with panic and stress. Many ECGs and single visits look normal. The autonomic system varies through the day, so a one time test misses the pattern. Patient organizations like Dysautonomia International describe long diagnostic journeys because data sits in silos and trends are not connected.
What the data shows
Estimates suggest far more people live with POTS than receive a diagnosis. Research highlights links with viral illness, autoimmune features, connective tissue disorders, and post COVID cohorts. For background and clinician guidance, see NCBI Bookshelf on POTS and the American College of Cardiology overview.
Why longitudinal data matters
A single reading is a snapshot. POTS is a movie. Morning resting rates, spikes after meals, heat effects, and delayed recovery after activity are patterns that appear only across days and weeks. Wearables, lab values, and clinic notes need to live in one connected record so cause and effect can be spotted.
Aether builds a health graph from any medical data and standardizes it into formats that computers can analyze, such as FHIR and ABHA schemas. With structure in place, small clues across time add up to a clear picture that supports earlier referral and care planning.
How POTS intersects with other conditions
Many patients with POTS also navigate Ehlers Danlos, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, ME CFS, or post COVID syndromes. These conditions live across specialties. Connected data brings cardiology, neurology, immunology, and rehabilitation into one view so patients are not left to coordinate care alone.
What living with POTS feels like
Everyday tasks can feel like a race. Hydration, salt intake, compression, and paced exercise can help when personalized. Tracking what helps and what hurts is essential. That is hard to do when records are scattered across PDFs, portals, and devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is POTS a lifelong condition?
For some people it improves over time, especially with physical therapy, hydration, and treating underlying causes. Others may have chronic symptoms that need ongoing management.
Can POTS be cured?
There is no single cure. Management focuses on improving blood flow, autonomic balance, and quality of life.
Does anxiety cause POTS?
No. POTS is a physiological condition, though symptoms may mimic anxiety. Emotional stress can worsen it but is not the cause.
From scattered notes to a connected story
Aether does not replace clinicians. It gives them context. Each new report updates the health graph. Trends are detected and outliers highlighted. Potential risk patterns are flagged for review. Patterns that looked like anxiety begin to look like a plan.