Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Jan 23;11(1):e6889.
doi: 10.1002/ccr3.6889. eCollection 2023 Jan.

A case of dysautonomia after COVID-19 infection in a patient with poorly controlled type I diabetes

Lorry Aitkens  1 , George Downey  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A case of dysautonomia after COVID-19 infection in a patient with poorly controlled type I diabetes

Lorry Aitkens et al. Clin Case Rep. .

Abstract

COVID-19 has been linked to dysautonomia in the current literature, as has uncontrolled diabetes. Here, we present a case report of severe dysautonomia following a COVID-19 infection in a patient with pre-existing poorly controlled type-1 diabetes. This patient exhibited symptoms consistent with both postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), as well as orthostatic hypotension. His symptoms became so severe that he was unable to come to a standing position without experiencing syncope. Extensive workup was completed to identify an alternative cause of his dysautonomia with inconclusive results. Dysautonomia can have devastating consequences in regard to physical, social, and psychological health. Counseling individuals with poorly controlled diabetes about the importance of maintaining tight blood glucose control and avoiding COVID-19 infection should be primary interventions when treating patients with this DM1. Early detection and management of diabetes mellitus, COVID-19, and of possible resultant dysautonomia through medical interventions, as well as lifestyle changes, are extremely important measures to avoid development of dangerous and potentially life-threatening consequences.

Keywords: COVID‐19; dysautonomia; orthostatic hypotension; postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome; type I diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Bosco J, Titano R. Severe Post‐COVID‐19 dysautonomia: a case report. BMC Infect Dis. 2022;22(1):214. doi:10.1186/s12879-022-07181-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blitshteyn S, Whitelaw S. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and other autonomic disorders after COVID‐19 infection: a case series of 20 patients. Immunol Res. 2021;69(2):205‐211. doi:10.1007/s12026-021-09185-5 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dani M, Dirksen A, Taraborrelli P, et al. Autonomic dysfunction in ‘long COVID’: rationale, physiology and management strategies. Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(1):e63‐e67. doi:10.7861/clinmed.2020-0896 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lahrmann H, Cortelli P, Hilz M, Mathias CJ, Struhal W, Tassinari M. EFNS guidelines on the diagnosis and management of orthostatic hypotension. Eur J Neurol. 2006;13(9):930‐936. doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01512.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sheldon RS, Grubb BP 2nd, Olshansky B, et al. 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;12(6):e41‐e63. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.03.029 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources