Active clinical trials for "Orthostatic Intolerance"

The investigators will test the hypothesis that patients with chronic orthostatic intolerance or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (OI or POTS) will be unable to conserve urinary sodium as compared to healthy control subjects.

Incidence and pathophysiologic hemodynamics of postoperative orthostatic intolerance and orthostatic hypotension in patients receiving antihypertensives

The purpose of this study is to try different medications in patients with low blood pressure and other problems with their involuntary (autonomic) nervous system. The pharmacological trials in this study will perhaps lead to more effective treatment. The protocol includes single dose trials, dose-selection trials, 5-day trials and chronic (approximately 2 months) trials, although only dose-selection trials were consistently performed and have results presented.

The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that patients with non-neuropathic POTS will have different responsiveness than patients with neuropathic POTS to direct alpha-1 adrenoreceptor agonist therapy (droxidopa) and to non-selective beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist therapy (atenolol). The specific goal of this protocol is to investigate the effect of atenolol and droxidopa on cardiovascular autonomic functions such as cardiovagal control, sympathetic nerve activity, and sympathetic vascular transduction, systemic hemodynamic response to orthostatic stress and on the quality of life in neuropathic and non-neuropathic patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Standardized tests are used to assess cardiovagal control function, sympathetic nerve activity, sympathetic vascular transduction, systemic hemodynamic response to head-up tilt test and standardized questionnaires to assess the quality of life in patients with POTS. The cardiovagal, sympathetic and hemodynamic measurements are performed after and during drug administration. To control the effect of medications placebo is used on separate testing visits. The order of drugs and placebo is randomized.

More than 78 million adults in the U.S. are obese. Bariatric surgery is the only modality that results in sustained weight loss along with reversal of diabetes mellitus, and a decrease in cardiovascular events. Obesity is associated with increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity that contributes to blood pressure regulation; sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity is maximally activated upon standing and is fundamental for the maintenance of orthostatic tolerance. After bariatric surgery, there is a significant and sustained reduction in SNS activity at three and six months after the procedure, which is related to weight loss. Recently, multiple retrospective studies have reported an orthostatic intolerance (OI) syndrome after bariatric surgery characterized by chronic pre-syncopal symptoms, syncope and orthostatic hypotension. In the Vanderbilt University Medical Center bariatric surgical center, 741 post-bariatric surgery patients reported OI symptoms, 98 (13.2%) of these patients, progressed to chronic OI and in17 cases, the OI was so disabling that patients initiated treatment with pressor agents. More than 50% of OI cases in the cohort developed the condition during a weight-stable period. Hence, investigators propose the novel hypothesis that after bariatric surgery, the persistent reduction in SNS activity contributes to impaired orthostatic tolerance, which is independent of weight loss.

In previous work the investigator identified a group of children between the ages of 10-18 years whose diagnostic workup for chronic nausea unexplained by conventional diagnostic tests has unexpectedly revealed underlying cardiovascular instability manifesting as orthostatic intolerance, primary defined as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (88%). While this is an atypical initial presentation for orthostatic intolerance in general, the investigator believes that the cardiovascular problem is serious and represents a cause of the nausea in a majority of these individuals, as treatment of the POTS with fludrocortisone reduced the symptoms of nausea. While fludrocortisone treatment abrogates the fall in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) during tilt in part, it did not completely correct the tachycardia symptoms or the BRS suppression during HUT. Furthermore it caused an elevation in MAP in supine position, which may lead to future cardiovascular problems such as early onset hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. This argues for a different treatment approach. The investigator presents preliminary data in this application revealing that OI subjects tend to have lower 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) compared to non OI subjects.

The main limitation patients with orthostatic intolerance (OI, or postural tachycardia syndrome, POTS) have to exercise is related to their increase in heart rate when standing. Main pharmacological treatment today is aimed at reducing heart rate with the use of betablockers (propanolol), this theoretically could also improve their exercise capacity; if their heart rate do not increase as much with the medication, they could exercise more. In addition, it has been suggested that in healthy volunteers subjected to head down tilt for 2 weeks (situation that produces a "simulated" transient POTS-like state) a single bout of intense exercise can improve orthostatic tolerance the day after exercising. The mechanisms involved in such response are not that clear but could be an increase in plasma volume already diminished in POTS patients. It seems likely that the same could be true for POTS patients. The purpose of the present study are to pharmacologically improve the amount of exercise POTS patients can perform by reducing their baseline heart rate (specific aim 1) and to evaluate next day heart responses to an acute bout of intense exercise. Therefore, the specific aims of this study are: To test the hypothesis that lowering heart rate response with propanolol will result in an increase in exercise capacity. To test the hypothesis that a single bout of exercise will result in an improvement in orthostatic tolerance the day after exercising.

We propose to use actigraphy (measured by activity watches) as a tool to quantify sleep disturbances in patients with orthostatic intolerance compared with healthy control subjects. In this pilot study, we will test the null hypothesis (Ho) that there are no differences in the sleep quality between patients with orthostatic intolerance and healthy control subjects.

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of 5 mg Midodrine (Gutron) vs. placebo on reducing the incidence of orthostatic hypotension during mobilization 6 h after a total hip arthroplasty.

The purpose of this study is to determine the cause of low blood pressure in selective patients who have problems with their involuntary (autonomic) nervous system. These patients frequently have had symptoms throughout their life, and their disorder might have a genetic basis. The biochemical, physiological and pharmacological procedures in this study should help us define the problem and perhaps lead to more effective treatment.