Muscular and Cutaneous Dysfunction in POTS

NCT04170725 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: POTS
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

POTS patients seem to experience orthostasis-dependent muscle weakness and pain as well as increased muscle fatigue upon physical activity, which can be improved by regular aerobic exercise. However, reduced sweat production of the extremities with limited control of the body temperature leads to exercise intolerance, so that sticking to a training program becomes a challenge for most patients. Recordings of MVRCs provide a new tool to assess muscle membrane dysfunction, depending on ischemia, surface temperature and training. As muscle dysfunction is assumed to be present in the majority of POTS patients but has not yet been scientifically studied the present study aims at understanding the muscular and cutaneous functioning in POTS using MVRC recordings, dependent both on orthostatic stress and exercise training as well as body temperature regulation. Our main hypothesis is that POTS patients experience functional muscle dysfunction that may be linked to altered muscle perfusion or body temperature regulation. The purpose of this study is to examine muscular and cutaneous dysfunction in POTS in order to i) better understand the underlying pathology for symptoms and to ii) ultimately improve treatment options.

Conditions

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Keywords

POTS

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change of early supernormality in%

  Change of early super normality as the most important parameter of MVRC measurements during HUT and fatigue in patients with neuropathic POTS compared to healthy subjects.

  Day 14

Secondary Outcomes (14)

• Change of relative refractory period in msec

  Day 14

• Change of late supernormality period in %

  Day 14

• Change of early supernormality % after Muscle endurance training

  Day 14

• Change of relative refractory period in msec after Muscle endurance training

  Day 14

• Change of late supernormality in % after Muscle endurance training

  Day 14

Study Arms (1)

Patients and Healthy volunteers

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients and Healthy volunteers will undergo a 14-day training protocol. No study drugs will be administered. Patients and Healthy volunteers will be instructed regarding their training protocol. Training sessions will be undertaken on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 after the first examination day. Participants will be asked to contract their TA muscle repeatedly by pulling the right foot towards the head in a standing position while the heel remains on the ground (at 5 second intervals). In order to carry out the training they will also receive a video demonstrating the exercise. On days 1 and 3 they will do the exercise for 5 minutes, on days 5 and 7 for 10 minutes and on days 9 and 11 for 15 minutes.

Other: Patient and Healthy Volunteers training protocol

Interventions

Patient and Healthy Volunteers training protocol OTHER

Patients and Healthy Volunteers will undergo a 14-day endurance training protocol. No study drugs will be administered. Patients and Healthy Volunteers will be instructed regarding their training protocol. Training sessions will be undertaken on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 after the first examination day. Patients and Healthy Volunteers will be asked to contract their TA muscle repeatedly by pulling the right foot towards the head in a standing position while the heel remains on the ground (at 5 second intervals). In order to carry out the training they will also receive a video demonstrating the exercise. On days 1 and 3 they will do the exercise for 5 minutes, on days 5 and 7 for 10 minutes and on days 9 and 11 for 15 minutes.

Patients and Healthy volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Informed consent as documented by signature
• Patients with diagnosed neuropathic POTS
• Age: ≥18 years and ≤ 60 years
• Informed consent as documented by signature
• Age: ≥18 years and ≤ 60 years

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Inability to adhere to the training protocol
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Intake of vasoactive medication or known, non-treated arterial hypertension
• Inability to adhere to the training protocol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern: lead

Study Sites (1)

Inselspital Bern

Bern, 3010, Switzerland

Location

Related Publications (27)

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• Bostock H, Baumann C, Humm AM, Z'graggen WJ. Temperature dependency of human muscle velocity recovery cycles. Muscle Nerve. 2012 Aug;46(2):264-6. doi: 10.1002/mus.23429.

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• Grubb BP. Postural tachycardia syndrome. Circulation. 2008 May 27;117(21):2814-7. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.761643. No abstract available.

  PMID: 18506020 BACKGROUND

• Humm AM, Bostock H, Troller R, Z'Graggen WJ. Muscle ischaemia in patients with orthostatic hypotension assessed by velocity recovery cycles. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;82(12):1394-8. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2011-300444. Epub 2011 Jun 7.

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• Jacob G, Diedrich L, Sato K, Brychta RJ, Raj SR, Robertson D, Biaggioni I, Diedrich A. Vagal and Sympathetic Function in Neuropathic Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. Hypertension. 2019 May;73(5):1087-1096. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11803.

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• Lambert E, Lambert GW. Sympathetic dysfunction in vasovagal syncope and the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Front Physiol. 2014 Jul 28;5:280. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00280. eCollection 2014.

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• Sheldon RS, Grubb BP 2nd, Olshansky B, Shen WK, Calkins H, Brignole M, Raj SR, Krahn AD, Morillo CA, Stewart JM, Sutton R, Sandroni P, Friday KJ, Hachul DT, Cohen MI, Lau DH, Mayuga KA, Moak JP, Sandhu RK, Kanjwal K. 2015 heart rhythm society expert consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and vasovagal syncope. Heart Rhythm. 2015 Jun;12(6):e41-63. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.03.029. Epub 2015 May 14. No abstract available.

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  PMID: 22641777 BACKGROUND

• Tan SV, Z'graggen WJ, Boerio D, Rayan DL, Howard R, Hanna MG, Bostock H. Membrane dysfunction in Andersen-Tawil syndrome assessed by velocity recovery cycles. Muscle Nerve. 2012 Aug;46(2):193-203. doi: 10.1002/mus.23293.

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• Z'Graggen WJ, Brander L, Tuchscherer D, Scheidegger O, Takala J, Bostock H. Muscle membrane dysfunction in critical illness myopathy assessed by velocity recovery cycles. Clin Neurophysiol. 2011 Apr;122(4):834-41. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2010.09.024. Epub 2010 Nov 1.

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• Z'Graggen WJ, Trautmann JP, Bostock H. Force training induces changes in human muscle membrane properties. Muscle Nerve. 2016 Jun;54(1):144-6. doi: 10.1002/mus.25149.

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• Z'graggen WJ, Troller R, Ackermann KA, Humm AM, Bostock H. Velocity recovery cycles of human muscle action potentials: repeatability and variability. Clin Neurophysiol. 2011 Nov;122(11):2294-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.04.010. Epub 2011 May 8.

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• Ziemssen T, Siepmann T. The Investigation of the Cardiovascular and Sudomotor Autonomic Nervous System-A Review. Front Neurol. 2019 Feb 12;10:53. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00053. eCollection 2019.

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Orthostatic Intolerance; Primary Dysautonomias; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Study Officials

• Werner Z'Graggen, MD

  Inselspital Bern, Department of Neurosurgery & Neurology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 12, 2019
• First Posted: November 20, 2019
• Study Start: January 10, 2020
• Primary Completion: March 3, 2025
• Study Completion: March 3, 2025
• Last Updated: March 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CH (1)