Comparison between the postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) with comorbid chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and PoTS without comorbid CFS
| PoTS No CFS | PoTS With CFS | p Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 109 | 27 | ||
| Proportion working n (%) | 57 (52) | 11 (41) | 0.4 | |
| When working hours worked (median (IQR)) | 30 (26–33) | 5 (0.2–23) | 0.001 | |
| Symptoms described by patients with PoTS | Number of symptoms first noticed (median (IQR)) | 2 (2.3–2.9) | 1 (1.1–2.3) | 0.0004 |
| Palpitations n (%) | 80 (73) | 16 (60) | 0.9 | |
| Fatigue n (%) | 85 (78) | 24 (89) | ||
| Dizziness n (%) | 87 (80) | 20 (74) | ||
| Memory n (%) | 47 (43) | 13 (48) | ||
| Breathlessness n (%) | 63 (58) | 14 (52) | ||
| Light-headedness n (%) | 89 (82) | 20 (74) | ||
| Muscle aches n (%) | 54 (50) | 16 (59) | ||
| Are you currently engaging in any form of exercise? n (%) | 48/109 (44) | 8/27 (30) | 0.2 | |
| If you do not exercise, why do you not exercise? n (%) | Not interested | 1/61 (2) | 0/20 | 1.0 |
| No time | 7/61 (12) | 0/20 | ||
| Would like to but cannot because of fatigue | 46/61 (75) | 16/20 (80) | ||
| Cannot because symptoms worsen | 49/61 (80) | 17/20 (85) | ||
| In the past 4 weeks, how many hours have you spent (median hours/week (IQR)) | Household-related activities | 5 (6–11) | 4 (4–16) | 0.5 |
| Social and recreational activities | 4 (4–7) | 4 (3–7) | 0.8 | |
| Family-related activities | 5 (6–13) | 5 (4–12) | 1.0 | |
| Work-related activities | 3 (11–20) | 0 (0.8–12) | 0.04 | |
| Other symptoms (n (%)) | Reports LOC or presyncope | 37/109 (34) | 5/27 (19) | 0.2 |
| Symptoms consistent with CFS | 47/109 (43) | 20/27 (74) | 0.005 | |
| Onset (n (%)) | Infection | 35/109 (32) | 16/27 (59) | 0.05 |
| Accident | 14/109 (13) | 1/27 (4) | ||
| Holiday | 7/109 (6) | 1/27 (4) | ||
| Immunisation | 6/109 (6) | 7/27 (26) | ||
| Surgery | 10/109 (9) | 4/27 (15) | ||
| Severe stress | 24/109 (22) | 8/27 (30) | ||
| Other | 34/109 (31) | 5/27 (19) | ||
| I am not ill | 6/109 (6) | 1/27 (4) |
LOC, loss of consciousness.