With his research on orthostatic intolerance in people with ME/CFS and post-COVID, VU student Stijn Wolters recently won a prize for the best scientific poster. He received this award during the annual symposium of Amsterdam Movement Sciences. In his category, twenty posters were judged. According to the jury, his poster stood out due to the subject matter and the clear way he presented his initial results.
Wolters is a master’s student in Movement Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit. Within the research group of NMCB researcher Rob Wüst, he is conducting his graduation research on symptoms that arise or worsen when standing, for the NMCB biobank. These symptoms include dizziness, headaches, sweating, palpitations, and the sensation of fainting. Such complaints are common in people with ME/CFS and post-COVID.
For his research, Wolters uses the NASA Lean Test. In this test, participants first lie down calmly and then stand for ten minutes, leaning against a wall. During this test, heart rate and blood pressure are measured. The symptoms experienced while standing are also tracked. Additionally, Wolters used a questionnaire to assess symptoms in daily life.
For the award-winning poster, Wolters compared healthy participants with those who have ME/CFS and those who have post-COVID. His initial results show that people with ME/CFS and post-COVID have more symptoms during the test than healthy participants. The symptom burden in daily life was also higher in both groups. However, there was no clear difference between the groups in how the heart rate changed on average.
This makes the research interesting. The symptoms are clearly present, but they are not always well reflected in the measurements that are commonly observed. Within the groups, Wolters did notice more frequent sharp increases in heart rate, but this was not the case for everyone with symptoms. This suggests that the usual method of measuring may not fully capture this patient group.
In his follow-up research, Wolters wants to explore whether other measurements from the same test can provide more insight. During the NASA Lean Test, an ECG was also taken. This will allow him to examine not only the number of heartbeats per minute but also small differences in the time between heartbeats. This may offer more insight into what happens in the body when someone stands up and why patients experience symptoms check the poster here.