Prevalence study of Orthostatic Intolerance on standing in 'healthy' volunteers

We're seeking people without Long COVID to participate in our study

Some people with Long COVID (pwLC) have Orthostatic Intolerance (OI), a type of autonomic dysfunction in which people experience symptoms (such as dizziness, blurred visions, and palpitations) when they stand up, that are associated with a fast heart rate (HR) and/or a drop in blood pressure (BP).

OI can be assessed using the NASA Lean Test (NLT). The test involves measuring BP and HR whilst lying down (to establish a baseline) and then every 1-2 minutes after standing up, to assess the changes in HR and BP upon standing which provides information on the autonomic response to standing.

We are collecting NLT data from ‘healthy’ participants (people without LC or a diagnosis of OI/autonomic dysfunction) to compare with findings in pwLC to ensure results are reliable.

If you would like to participate, please contact Locomotion@leeds.ac.uk. Please note you will need to have access to a blood pressure monitor to participate in the study.

 

Why is this important?

Dr Manoj Sivan (LOCOMOTION Co-Chief Investigator) has co-authored a publication comparing findings from the NASA Lean Test (NLT) with Long COVID (LC) symptoms reported on the C19-YRS (a validated LC outcome measure that is being further assessed and validated within LOCOMOTION).

The results of the study were a lack of a correlation between palpitations and dizziness reported on the C19-YRS with NLT findings. Based on this, the paper recommended using the NLT in all LC patients in a clinic setting, regardless of presenting LC symptoms.

Following on from this, in another part of our study, we are conducting the NLT on patients within our LC clinics to establish the prevalence of OI in pwLC. The NLT results from 'healthy' participants can then be compared with the findings from pwLC to ensure the results are reliable.