Dysphagia Symptoms in Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): A Qualitative Study
Department of Health Sciences, Faulkner University
How they used Delve
Researchers at Faulkner University's Department of Health Sciences and the Dysautonomia Clinic used Delve to organise and manage the coding of semi-structured interviews with 11 patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome about their experience of difficulty swallowing, in a phenomenological study.
“Delve qualitative analysis software (www.delvetool.com) was used to support data organization and management throughout the coding process.”
- Field
- Neurology / dysautonomia and dysphagia
- Data
- One-on-one semi-structured interviews via Microsoft Teams or telephone with 11 patients with autonomic disorders, recruited from online support communities and the Dysautonomia Clinic in Williamsville, New York
- Approach
- Phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews, describing the essence of lived experience of dysautonomia-associated dysphagia; participants screened with the Dysphagia Handicap Index
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
Background: Difficulty swallowing is a common complaint in patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), but there are no qualitative studies that examine dysphagia in patients with POTS, resulting in a significant gap in clinical understanding and research. Methods: A structured interview of patients with autonomic disorders was conducted utilizing the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI). Results: Eleven participants (age range 21–71, mean age 46 years, eight women) were selected using purposive sampling through online support communities and referrals from Dysautonomia Clinic. All had POTS, and eight had comorbid Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. The data gathered from participants were used to construct thematic descriptions of their lived experiences. The mean DHI score in this cohort was 4.5, indicating significant impairment in swallowing. Four themes emerged from the participant narratives: (1) the negative physical impact of dysphagia, (2) the negative psychological impact of dysphagia, (3) the impact on daily life and relationships, and (4) reduced healthcare satisfaction. Conclusions: We found significant impairment due to reported dysphagia symptoms in patients with POTS. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiology, severity and type of dysphagia in POTS and to develop targeted therapies.
Citation
Sherry Zimmermann, Svetlana Blitshteyn (2026). Dysphagia Symptoms in Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): A Qualitative Study. Neurology International. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint18030044