March 13, 2024
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New clinical trials will examine treatments for lingering symptoms after long COVID, such as fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue.
New clinical trials by the National Institutes of Health will test three possible treatments for a condition that can be linked to long COVID and causes people to suffer from fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue just from standing up or getting out of bed.
Some of these symptoms may result from dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the automatic functions of the body, such as breathing and digestion. Disruption of this system can cause postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS.
"Patients who develop POTS after having COVID-19 are often severely limited by their symptoms, and there are no proven effective treatments," said Dr. Christopher Granger of Duke University Medical Center, who is co-leading the clinical trials.
The two clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of three treatments are part of the National Institutes of Health's COVID to Enhance Recovery Initiative, a nationwide research program known as RECOVER that brings together clinicians, scientists, caregivers, patients and community members to understand, diagnose and treat long COVID.
Other RECOVER clinical trials testing treatments to address viral persistence and neurological symptoms – including cognitive dysfunction, such as brain fog – began last summer.
For the clinical trials looking into treatments for POTS, researchers plan to enroll 380 participants at 50 sites across the country.
Initially, the trials will examine three potential treatments:
• Gamunex-C, which contains antibodies to help the body protect itself against infection from various diseases and is given by intravenous infusion.
• Ivabradine, an oral medication that reduces heart rate.
• Coordinator-guided, non-drug care, including activities managed with a care coordinator, such as wearing a compression belt and eating a high-salt diet, which are recommended for patients with POTS to counteract fluid loss.
For more information, visit: trials.recovercovid.org.
