MedicalResearch.com Interview with Prof. Julia I. Newton: Dean of Clinical Medicine & Professor of Ageing and Medicine Clinical Academic Office The Medical School Newcastle University MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Newton: In this study we have explored for the first time the characteristics of patients with Postural tachycardia in the UK

• Postural Tachycardia Syndrome  patients are predominantly female, young, well educated and have significant and debilitating symptoms that impact significantly upon their quality of life.
• Despite this, there is no consistent treatment, high levels of disability and associated comorbidity.
• Although individuals presented with symptoms at the same age, those attending a specialist clinic received a diagnosis quicker.
• Symptom burden for those with Postural tachycardia is high and comparable to that seen in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is recognized by the WHO as a neurological disorder and by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 as a disability. At the current time those with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome  suffer to the same extent as those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but do not receive the same protection from the law.
• It is important that more work is done to understand the underlying autonomic abnormality in those with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in order to allow us to develop targeted treatments that are effective and go beyond the currently available simply symptomatic management.

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