What Causes Low Salt Containment In People With Pots...or Low Blood Flow

[Angela]

please explain. i don't understand this suggestion. i think there is more to it.

[ramakentesh]

The theories are:

1. in neuropathic POTS the kidneys are sluggish and not effectively maintaining blood volume status

2. in low flow POTS elevated angiotensin II is somehow paradoxically pushing aldosterone and renin down inappropriately

3. in other forms of POTS they are investigating abnormal kidney dopamine and some believe there are high levels of duiretic peptides in POTS.

No one really knows but its one of the main things being investigated.

[AussieOI]

How do you know what forms of POTS you have? Does it matter for the medication you are given? I assume it would?

[Chaos]

Aussie- POTS specialists will usually tell you what type they suspect you have, although there isn't great agreement amongst them, nor is there a universally agreed upon nomenclature for what types exist so it's all rather relative when people discuss the type they have. That said, yes, it does seem to influence the types of meds you are prescribed.

If you want more answers you might want to start another thread on this topic or search the forum as there have been other discussions like this in the past.

cheers!

[jangle]

Likely low aldosterone levels. Why that is, is still a question. Also the sympathetic nervous system does regulate your blood volume, so there could be a mechanism at play with a faulty SNS.

[boymommy3]

This perplexes me as well.

For instance my blood serum sodium when I had it checked in December or January was borderline high but within normal limits. I did a 24 hr. urine sodium and it, too was within normal limits but on the lower end of normal.

So to me it seems that I don't have a sodium issue, however, I can tell a difference in how if feel drinking Gatorade and eating saltier foods. I really do feel better. AND...I don't even have really low bp and never pass out.

It seems so strange to me. And I keep struggling with the fact that it can't possibly be good for me to drink a 20oz. Gatorade every day.

[yogini]

I don't think most people have low blood sodium or low blood volume, it's just that increasing sodium increases BP/blood volume, which help many of us compensate for other mechanisms in our body which aren't functioning.

I would not worry about 20oz of Gatorade. I drank a lot more than that during my worst.