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Extreme elevated heart rate with normal exertion - standing, walking
My daughter-in-law is experiencing unexplainable extreme heart rate elevation with normal exertion such as walking or standing from a seated position. Emergency room personnel recorded a jump from 98 BPM to 130-150 BPM upon standing from a seated position. Subject is 20 years old and in good health. Symptoms started shortly after eating breakfast on a cruise ship. Cruise ship medical personnel diagnosed anxiety as a possible cause, but hospital ultrasound and CBC discovered nothing significant. Yet the condition persists even when subject is under influence of doctor prescribed Xanax. What conditions might be causing this problem?
another few ideas to add to the mix, has she had an echocardiogram? Cardiomyopathies cause sinus tachycardia due to cardiac enlargment and floppiness for want of a better term. It took almost 6 wks for them to dx me with a post partum cardiomyopathy and I had had it for mths, it was missed by my OB office for mths, during an ER visit post partum where I was heart monitored, but was there for another issue and also during the C section and recovery in an Ob unit for nearly a wk. My HR was in the 120+ while lying down and more when I walked or did similar things.
The Drs focussed on thyroid and pg as being the issues at hand, thyroid probs can cause a tachycardia, and so can adrenal function problems and any anemia esp if its severe or related to iron stores rather than iron levels.
First two issues are often picked up during an endocrinology work up, second one by some in depth iron panel testing and a work up by a hematologist.
Gl and hope you get some answers soon.
Fiona
The Drs focussed on thyroid and pg as being the issues at hand, thyroid probs can cause a tachycardia, and so can adrenal function problems and any anemia esp if its severe or related to iron stores rather than iron levels.
First two issues are often picked up during an endocrinology work up, second one by some in depth iron panel testing and a work up by a hematologist.
Gl and hope you get some answers soon.
Fiona
dehydration in itself could cause similar symptoms, or could aggrivate another possibility you should keep in mind, which would be Innapropriate sinus tachycardia..
i have similar symptoms to this day even though ive been treated successfully for svt.. My heart rate jumps upon standing (almost always above 100, frequently above 120), it would get even higher upon movement, and would go right back down the second i sat... i have a slight IST... Whats helped me is staying very hydrated and exercise.. i hope your daughter in law finds a diagnosis, and you are a superb father in law for caring so much
i have similar symptoms to this day even though ive been treated successfully for svt.. My heart rate jumps upon standing (almost always above 100, frequently above 120), it would get even higher upon movement, and would go right back down the second i sat... i have a slight IST... Whats helped me is staying very hydrated and exercise.. i hope your daughter in law finds a diagnosis, and you are a superb father in law for caring so much
Yeah, my rate did the same thing for over two years. About 112 standing.
Have no idea if it's still doing it on the low end because I'm so used to that rate it has to get over 130 before I notice it at all.
Have no idea if it's still doing it on the low end because I'm so used to that rate it has to get over 130 before I notice it at all.
Hi Pastorphil,
She could have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Tachycardia means an extremely rapid heart rate, usually signified by a pulse rate of over 100 beats per minute (bpm). Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is usually clinically defined as a heart rate increase of 30 bpm or more from the supine (laying down) to the standing position within 10 minutes or less. Patients with florid POTS develop tachycardia over 120 bpm within 5 minutes or less. Some doctors use a strict 5 minute standard for defining POTS, while others use a 20 minute standard. Some patients have heart rates that go all the way up to 150 bpm and beyond. During tilt table testing, some POTS patients have large drops in blood pressure and pass out (syncope), while other patients have only relatively shallow drops in blood pressure. A small percentage of POTS patients have no drop in blood pressure at all.uld have Postural orthostatic Tackycardia Syndrome (POTS)
What causes POTS?
1) Viral and bacterial infections that damage the autonomic nervous system are a common cause. Patients who develop POTS due to an infection, with no deeper underlying genetic cause, have the best chance for a spontaneous recovery over time.
2) The development of POTS in women after childbearing is very common and may be due to changes in blood volume during pregnancy.
3) Exposure to toxic chemicals which damage the autonomic nervous system can cause POTS. This group includes adverse reactions to prescription drugs. Some Gulf War veterans have developed POTS like symptoms after being forced by military leaders to take inadequately tested experimental drugs and being exposed to small amounts of nerve gas.
4) POTS can be caused by genetically inherited neurotransmitter disorders, including disorders of catecholamine production and release, such as Norepinephrine-Transporter Deficiency.
5) POTS can be caused by peripheral nerve damage due to rapid weight loss, diabetes, and alcoholism. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have identified autoantibodies specific for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the autonomic ganglia, which are believed to cause of approximately 10% of all POTS cases. Doctors at Vanderbilt University believe that some POTS cases are caused by a partial sympathetic denervation, especially in the legs.
6) POTS can be a phase in the gradual onset of Shy-Drager Syndrome.
7) Damage to the vagus nerve can be a cause and there have been documented cases of patients developing neurally mediated hypotension and POTS after undergoing radiation treatment to the neck.
8) There is a mixed bag of less common potential causes, both genetic and acquired. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which permits veins to dilate excessively, is now an accepted cause of POTS. Essentially anything that can damage the brain stem and important autonomic nervous system structures can cause POTS.
She could have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Tachycardia means an extremely rapid heart rate, usually signified by a pulse rate of over 100 beats per minute (bpm). Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is usually clinically defined as a heart rate increase of 30 bpm or more from the supine (laying down) to the standing position within 10 minutes or less. Patients with florid POTS develop tachycardia over 120 bpm within 5 minutes or less. Some doctors use a strict 5 minute standard for defining POTS, while others use a 20 minute standard. Some patients have heart rates that go all the way up to 150 bpm and beyond. During tilt table testing, some POTS patients have large drops in blood pressure and pass out (syncope), while other patients have only relatively shallow drops in blood pressure. A small percentage of POTS patients have no drop in blood pressure at all.uld have Postural orthostatic Tackycardia Syndrome (POTS)
What causes POTS?
1) Viral and bacterial infections that damage the autonomic nervous system are a common cause. Patients who develop POTS due to an infection, with no deeper underlying genetic cause, have the best chance for a spontaneous recovery over time.
2) The development of POTS in women after childbearing is very common and may be due to changes in blood volume during pregnancy.
3) Exposure to toxic chemicals which damage the autonomic nervous system can cause POTS. This group includes adverse reactions to prescription drugs. Some Gulf War veterans have developed POTS like symptoms after being forced by military leaders to take inadequately tested experimental drugs and being exposed to small amounts of nerve gas.
4) POTS can be caused by genetically inherited neurotransmitter disorders, including disorders of catecholamine production and release, such as Norepinephrine-Transporter Deficiency.
5) POTS can be caused by peripheral nerve damage due to rapid weight loss, diabetes, and alcoholism. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have identified autoantibodies specific for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the autonomic ganglia, which are believed to cause of approximately 10% of all POTS cases. Doctors at Vanderbilt University believe that some POTS cases are caused by a partial sympathetic denervation, especially in the legs.
6) POTS can be a phase in the gradual onset of Shy-Drager Syndrome.
7) Damage to the vagus nerve can be a cause and there have been documented cases of patients developing neurally mediated hypotension and POTS after undergoing radiation treatment to the neck.
8) There is a mixed bag of less common potential causes, both genetic and acquired. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which permits veins to dilate excessively, is now an accepted cause of POTS. Essentially anything that can damage the brain stem and important autonomic nervous system structures can cause POTS.
Hi
Did any of u get a definite diagnosis as to what was causin your symptoms? I have very similar ones. My heart rate is 120 on standing, and it drops to between 80-96, depending on how relaxed i am/what ive been doing) when i am seated. It seems to go up very suddenly.
Sometimes it has gone to the 140s/150 on standing. Admittedly, i have been anxious when this has happened but i dont think the anxiety i have felt has waranted a heart rtae that high! It seems to be getting faster week on week.
This has all started since i had a suspected bout of SVT a few weeks ago, where i got a flutter in my chest and my heart rate went to 173. The symptoms i have had since are not the same they are not preceeed by flutters, its more of a general fast rate.
i keep checking my pulse and hardly dare move! It is really really scaring me. any advice???? thanks. :(
Did any of u get a definite diagnosis as to what was causin your symptoms? I have very similar ones. My heart rate is 120 on standing, and it drops to between 80-96, depending on how relaxed i am/what ive been doing) when i am seated. It seems to go up very suddenly.
Sometimes it has gone to the 140s/150 on standing. Admittedly, i have been anxious when this has happened but i dont think the anxiety i have felt has waranted a heart rtae that high! It seems to be getting faster week on week.
This has all started since i had a suspected bout of SVT a few weeks ago, where i got a flutter in my chest and my heart rate went to 173. The symptoms i have had since are not the same they are not preceeed by flutters, its more of a general fast rate.
i keep checking my pulse and hardly dare move! It is really really scaring me. any advice???? thanks. :(
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