Evaluation of Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

The subjects are patients with COI and adult healthy volunteers of similar age, gender, and body mass.

Participation in this protocol is offered to people 18 years old or older, independently of gender, race, age, ethnicity, religion, or any other demographic or sociopolitical classifications.

The subjects in the second off-site study are family members of the identified proband. Participation in this protocol is offered to people 18 years old or older, independently of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other demographic or sociopolitical classifications.

In the second off-site study, participation is also offered to subjects 10 to 17 years old, provided that appropriate informed consent/assent has been given by the subject and his/her parent or guardian.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Age: Minors younger than 18 years old are excluded, except for the off-site study. Advanced age does not constitute an exclusion criterion. For subjects more than 55 years old, carotid Doppler studies are done, and subjects with significant carotid disease (stenosis by atherosclerosis) are excluded. In the off-site study, minors younger than 10 years old are excluded. For the second off-site study, minors younger than 10 years old are excluded. Advanced age does not constitute an exclusion criterion. Except for the second off-site study, people less than 18 years old are excluded.

Risk: A candidate subject is excluded if, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator or Clinical Director, protocol participation would place the subject at substantially increased acute medical risk. This includes the risks associated with air travel to the NIH. A candidate subject is excluded if, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator or Clinical Director, the medical risk outweighs the potential scientific benefit.

Disqualifying Conditions: A candidate subject is excluded if there is a disqualifying condition. Examples of disqualifying conditions are hepatic or renal failure, a history of tachyarrhythmias, symptomatic congestive heart failure, severe anemia, psychosis, refractory ventricular arrhythmias, symptomatic coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, and allergy or sensitivity to iodinated contrast media or any of the planned drugs. A positive HIV rest result does not necessarily exclude a patient from participating.

Medications: A candidate subject is excluded if clinical considerations require that the patient continue treatment with a drug likely to interfere with the scientific results. Examples are tricyclic antidepressants, anticoagulants, beta-adrenoceptor blockers, phenothiazines, barbiturates, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, acetaminophen, and alpha-adrenoceptor agonists or antagonists. Patients on one or more of these drugs are not excluded, if the drugs are tapered and discontinued before undergoing the clinical laboratory testing. Patients are not to discontinue any medications before the patient or the patient's doctor discusses this with the Principal Investigator. If it is decided that discontinuing medications would be unsafe, then the patient is excluded from the study. Patients with known or suspected allergy or hypersensitivity to any test drug are excluded. Patients unable to discontinue nicotine or alcohol for 24 hours prior to evaluation are excluded.

Patients with chronic orthostatic intolerance often take several medications that could interfere with the scientific results of this protocol. Temporary discontinuation of medications as outpatients, even with the approval of the referring physician, introduces some risk. To maximize patient safety, we may admit patients for monitoring as inpatients while medications are tapered or stopped.

In the second off-site study, subjects are tested while on their usual medications.

Herbal Medicines and Dietary Supplements: Certain herbal medicines or dietary supplements are known or suspected to interfere with the experimental results, and such herbal medicines or dietary supplements must be discontinued before enrollment in the study. In cases where the subjects wish to continue their herbal medicines or dietary supplements while on study, and search of the available medical literature fails to identify effects that are known or expected to interfere with the experimental results, then the subjects may participate. Subjects in the off-site study may continue their herbal medicines or dietary supplements.

Practical Limitations: Patients in whom we feel it would be difficult to insert a catheter into a vein are excluded. Subjects who are not expected clinically to tolerate lying still during the procedures are excluded. In the second off-site study, if an i.v. cannot be placed, or the subject refuses to have an i.v. placed then a DNA sample may be obtained by buccal smear or obtaining saliva.

Pregnancy: Pregnant or lactating women are excluded. In the second off-site study, pregnancy is not an exclusion criterion.

The Investigators may also exclude a subject from further participation, such as in the event of known or suspect falsification of medical history information or refusal to undergo planned tests or procedures, without loss of benefits to which the subject was previously entitled.