An interventional study of diaphragmatic breathing exercise and educational retraining in Orthostatic Hypotension, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure, sponsored by Riphah International University. Recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to female participants aged 19 Years to 35 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-11.
Sponsored by Riphah International University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Postural orthostatic tachycardia POTS is characterized by excessive increase in heart rate when moving from lying to standing position, often accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat and palpitation.it most commonly effects the females of reproductive age and can be triggered by events like viral infections, trauma and hormonal changes. During pregnancy females may experience worsening of symptoms in first trimester due to hormonal changes and decreased blood volume later on in second and third trimester the blood volume begins to increase. However, breathing exercises helps to regulate the nervous system, improves parasympathetic activity and reduce sympathetic activity.
The study will be randomized clinical trial and will be conducted at Bashir hospital Sialkot and Fatima hospital Sialkot. The study will be completed in 10 months of duration after the approval of synopsis. Non probability convenience sampling will be used and 44 participants will be included in the study after randomization. The subjects will be divided into two groups. Group A (experimental group) will receive diaphragmatic breathing exercises whereas Group B (control group) will receive educational retraining whereas both groups will receive baseline treatments which includes progressive muscle relaxation techniques. The tools used for the study will be Vanderbilt orthostatic symptom score VOSS to evaluate orthostatic intolerance, blood pressure will be measured using non-invasive blood pressure measurement and pulse oximetry will be used to access the heart rate. After data completion data will be analyzed by using SPSS version 21.
Postural orthostatic tachycardia POTS is characterized by excessive increase in heart rate when moving from lying to standing position, often accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat and palpitation.it most commonly effects the females of reproductive age and can be triggered by events like viral infections, trauma and hormonal changes. During pregnancy females may experience worsening of symptoms in first trimester due to hormonal changes and decreased blood volume later on in second and third trimester the blood volume begins to increase. However, breathing exercises helps to regulate the nervous system, improves parasympathetic activity and reduce sympathetic activity.
The study will be randomized clinical trial and will be conducted at Bashir hospital Sialkot and Fatima hospital Sialkot. The study will be completed in 10 months of duration after the approval of synopsis. Non probability convenience sampling will be used and 44 participants will be included in the study after randomization. The subjects will be divided into two groups. Group A (experimental group) will receive diaphragmatic breathing exercises whereas Group B (control group) will receive educational retraining whereas both groups will receive baseline treatments which includes progressive muscle relaxation techniques. The tools used for the study will be Vanderbilt orthostatic symptom score VOSS to evaluate orthostatic intolerance, blood pressure will be measured using non-invasive blood pressure measurement and pulse oximetry will be used to access the heart rate. After data completion data will be analyzed by using SPSS version 21.
155 studies on the registry are indexed under Hypotension, Orthostatic; 34 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 44 is above the median of 30 across 113 interventional studies indexed under Hypotension, Orthostatic.
Browse Hypotension, Orthostatic studies →Riphah International University is the lead sponsor of 2,133 studies on the registry; 633 are open to participants now.
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Pregnant female between the age of 19 to 35 years.
Exclusion Criteria:
Uncontrolled hypertension/pre-eclampsia
The treatment group will receive diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Pregnant women will be asked to relax for 5 minutes in the supine posture. One hand will be placed on the abdomen, the other on the upper chest wall. When inhaling, the hand on the abdomen will move upward and the other hand remain as still as possible. When exhaling, the hand on the abdomen will move downwards. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Pregnant ladies will be instructed to carefully exhale using controlled expiration. While the other hand will stay as still as possible. Following the breathing exercise, pregnant women will be asked to rest for 5 minutes. After learning the method, the exercises can be performed while sitting. Over the period of 30 days, the intervention group will be instructed to perform diaphragmatic breathing exercises for 5 minutes once a day.
Other: diaphragmatic breathing exercise
The control group will receive educational retraining. The participants will be asked to rise gradually from supine or sitting positions, particularly in the morning, after meals, and after urination/defecation. Avoid prolonged standing, high ambient temperatures, and excessive humidity. A daily hydration intake of at least 2.5 liters will be advised. Use of compression garments/ stocking to reduce peripheral pooling of lower limb.
Other: educational retraining
The treatment group will receive diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Pregnant women will be asked to relax for 5 minutes in the supine posture. One hand will be placed on the abdomen, the other on the upper chest wall. When inhaling, the hand on the abdomen will move upward and the other hand remain as still as possible. When exhaling, the hand on the abdomen will move downwards. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Pregnant ladies will be instructed to carefully exhale using controlled expiration. While the other hand will stay as still as possible. Following the breathing exercise, pregnant women will be asked to rest for 5 minutes. After learning the method, the exercises can be performed while sitting. Over the period of 30 days, the intervention group will be instructed to perform diaphragmatic breathing exercises for 5 minutes once a day
The control group will receive educational retraining. The participants will be asked to rise gradually from supine or sitting positions, particularly in the morning, after meals, and after urination/defecation. Avoid prolonged standing, high ambient temperatures, and excessive humidity. A daily hydration intake of at least 2.5 liters will be advised. Use of compression garments/ stocking to reduce peripheral pooling of lower limb.
Vanderbilt Orthostatic symptom score
It describes the following nine symptoms: mental clouding, brain fog, shortness of breath, palpitations, tremor, headache, chest tightness, blurred vision, and nausea. VOSS will help to evaluate if the symptoms will get severe, after tilting back. Participants will be asked to rate the expression of their symptoms on a scale of 0 to 10.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Non-invasive blood pressure measurement
Non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement will be used by pressuring cuff around the arm or leg. The auscultatory approach will detect blood pressure by detecting the sound of the limb artery opening and closing. The oscillometer approach will measure the vibration of the cuff during pressurized air release. NIBP is considered as a gold standard test
Time frame: 6 weeks
Pulse oximetry
Pulse oximeters are commonly used for the non-invasive, simultaneous measurement of hemoglobin oxygen saturation. They are reliable, accurate, relatively affordable, and portable. Pulse oximeters are commonly used to determine heart rate during rest and during activity
Time frame: 6 weeks
Plan to share: No
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Riphah International University