Anxiety and depression moods is involved in the pathogenesis of postural tachycardia syndrome

Abstract

Objective: To explore the significance of anxiety and depression in children with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Study design: The study enrolled seventy-one children diagnosed as POTS in Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University and Kaifeng Children's Hospital, aged 13 ± 2 years; The Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Hamilton Depression (HAMD) scale, and the Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) scale were determined in POTS children. The POTS children were divided into two groups: anxiety/ depression group and non- anxiety / depression group according to the above scales scores. Heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP)were monitored by a Dash 2000 Multi-Lead Physiological Monitor.

Results: Twenty POTS children consisted of anxiety / depression group. Twelve were girls and eight were boys, with mean age of 14 ± 2 years. The non- anxiety / depression group included fifty-one POTS children aged 12 ± 2 years. Twenty-six were girls and twenty-five were boys. There were no statically differences in weight, gender, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and HR in supine. The age and height of anxiety / depression group were higher than that in non- anxiety / depression group. The maxium HR (HRmax) in ten minutes of upright position or tilt, the change of HR from supine to upright (ΔHR), symptom scores in anxiety / depression group were significantly higher than that in non- anxiety / depression group. Four scale scores were correlated with symptom scores and ΔHR.

Conclusions: Anxiety and depression emotion might be involved in the pathogenesis of POTS.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Heart rate; Postural tachycardia syndrome; Score.

Fig. 1

Correlation analysis of HAMA scores, HAMD scores, SAS scores, SDS scores and ΔHR: HAMA scores, HAMD scores, SAS scores, SDS scores were positively correlated with ΔHR (n = 71, HAMA: r = 0.480; HAMD, r = 0.442; SAS, r = 0.430; SDS, r = 0.429).

Fig. 2

Correlation analysis of HAMA scores, HAMD scores, SAS scores, SDS scores and symptom scores: HAMA scores, HAMD scores, SAS scores, SDS scores were positively correlated with symptom scores (n = 71, HAMA: r = 0.662; HAMD, r = 0.664; SAS, r = 0.681; SDS, r = 0.606).