Table 4.
Prevalence of premenstrual symptoms among patients with POTS and healthy controls a
| Premenstrual symptom | POTS (n=65) | Controls (n=92) | P value (Mann–Whitney U test) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast pain | 3.0 (2.0, 4.50) | 3.0 (2.0, 4.0) | 0.665 |
| Unable to cope with ordinary demands b | 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) | 0.065 |
| Feel under stress | 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) | 2.5 (2.0, 4. 0) | 0.001 |
| Irritable/bad temper | 3.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 3.0 (2.0, 4.0) | 0.006 |
| Feel sad or blue | 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 3.0 (2.0, 4.0) | 0.022 |
| Backache, joint and muscle pain; stiffness | 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) | >0.999 |
| Weight gain | 3.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 3.0 (2.0, 3.8) | 0.145 |
| Abdominal heaviness, discomfort, or pain | 3.0 (2.0, 5.0) | 3.0 (2.0, 4.0) | 0.502 |
| Edema, puffiness, or swelling | 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) | 0.295 |
| How long have symptoms been experienced | 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 2.0) | 0.878 |
Abbreviation: POTS, postural tachycardia syndrome.
a
Values are given as median (25th, 75th percentile) unless indicated otherwise. Values were on a Likert scale where 1 represented the least severity and 5 represented the worst.
b
One patient with POTS provided no answer.