A study came out this week on autoimmune POTS that I thought was worth sharing. I have already discussed that researchers are exploring an autoimmune cause for POTS, but this latest study has even more exciting implications.
What’s the scoop?
A group of researchers was able to induce POTS in rabbits by targeting adrenergic receptors (mediate sympathetic nervous system activity) with antibodies. Poor rabbits. They did a tilt table test on these rabbits, which I need to see footage of immediately. The rabbits’ heart rates increased significantly above a normal range when they were upright.
Sweet, so what else did they do?
This is the coolest part, they were able to reverse the POTS in the rabbits by using peptides that neutralized that antibodies.
Why does this matter?
This strengthens the case for an autoimmune cause of POTS. If they can induce it in an animal using antibodies, then it is more likely that this is a mechanism by which POTS may develop in humans. The study also advances future treatments because they effectively reversed the induced POTS in rabbits. It is possible they can translate this treatment to humans one day.
So where can I get these peptides, yo?
Unfortunately, this is a preliminary step. This article very eloquently explains the importance of this contribution as well as the future challenges in applying it practically to POTS patients. One challenge is that POTS does not have one single cause, so this research may not apply to all POTS patients. Also, the study was done on rabbits, not humans. Overall, though, in the words of former Vice President Biden, it’s a big effing deal.
What are your thoughts on this article?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Statements on this site are not meant to be taken as medical advice. These statements reflect my personal experiences having mild-ish post-viral POTS and ME. Due to the wide spectrum of these diseases, comorbidities, and everyone being different, your experiences may be very different than mine.
Note: If you post a comment, this site does NOT have a feature to notify you of responses to your comment. I have not found a good solution for that yet. However, I usually respond to every comment in a timely manner, so be sure to check back.
3 Comments
It’s a step in the right direction!
So exciting to hear they’re getting closer to figuring this thing out! The more they learn the more treatments there are. And with varied causes there’s clearly not a one-size-fits-all way to battle POTS. That’s what’s so frustrating with autoimmune and chronic illness, not all treatments work on all people. Even people’s symptoms as well as the severity can vary! But we are clearly in an epidemic of autoimmune so all these studies are so important. Thanks for the update!
Yeah, it seems more and more people have autoimmune diseases these days. Part is due to the fact that we diagnose them nowadays instead of calling women hysterical (except that still happens way more than it should, don’t even get me started lol), but it seems to be more than that. There must be environmental factors in modern society that contribute to these chronic inflammatory/autoimmune diseases.