Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) occurs in approximately 500,000 Americans, but predominates in women with a 5:1 ratio. Patients with POTS experience debilitating tachycardia upon postural changes such as standing that impairs their quality of life. Tachycardia is clinically defined as a heart rate greater than 100 beats/min; and in POTS patients, the prolonged heart rate increase is greater than 30 beats/min or increases to 120 beats/min within the first ten minutes of a diagnostic tilt table test without postural hypotension. There are currently no effective treatment methods for POTS. However, several studies suggest Ivabradine could be a main treatment option for POTS because Ivabradine specifically inhibits the f-channels (If) within the sinoatrial (SA) node, which slows the heart rate. Currently in the US, Ivabradine is mainly prescribed to treat chronic heart failure. It is well tolerated in patients, but it is not commonly prescribed for POTS. It has been also used for treatment of inappropriate sinus tachycardia with good benefit. The hypothesis for this experiment is that Ivabradine will reduce tachycardia and improve functional status in patients with POTS.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
37
Ivabradine is prescribed for treatment of chronic heart failure through inhibition of the f-channels (If) within the sinoatrial node.
A substance that has no therapeutic effect and will act as a control.
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California, United States
Change in Heart Rate
Orthostatic heart rate monitoring will be used to gauge heart rate changes.
Time frame: Baseline and one month post-treatment
Change in Quality of Life Via SF-36 Survey
Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) The SF-36 has 36 questions and is an indicator of overall health status and is well-validated. The SF-36 has eight scaled scores; the scores are weighted sums of the questions in each section. The total score on the SF-36 ranges from 0 - 100 Lower scores = more disability, higher scores = less disability Sections: Vitality Physical functioning Bodily pain General health perceptions Physical role functioning Emotional role functioning Social role functioning Mental health
Time frame: Baseline and one month post-treatment
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