Thread by @UnityPhysio

🧵 An absolutely fascinating talk by William Gunning @Dysautonomia conf - Innate Immune system Activation in PoTS. A complex topic made easy to understand by a Prof in pathology & it makes a lot of sense to me, it’s like seeing another puzzle piece! Here’s some interesting

2/points:
Platelets are very important in innate immunity & homeostasis (still being debated)
Platelets have over 400 biochemicals!
Serotonin is produced in the gut & pooled in platelets for delivery around the body (outside of CNS 99% of serotonin is in the platelets)

3/Symptoms of low seratonin are commonly seen in PoTS
Platelets secrete a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines & chemokines
All cells secrete chemicals that recruit inflammatory cell response
Dr Gunning has done some studies:
- one showed significant ⬇️ in dense granule number

4/in platelets & decrease in seratonin compared to controls
- also showed 82% of people with PoTS have storage pool deficiency
- found significant ⬆️ in adrenergic autoantibodies
- found significant ⬆️ in cytokines & chemokines in people with PoTS with ⬆️ adrenergic &

5/muscarinic autoantibodies
- said a key to look at type one interferon & IL1 family of cytokines, POTS patients had low levels of type 1 interferon & elevated interferon gamma (common in autoimmune disorders) & elevated of IL1-1β and IL-18. (⬆️ in autoinflammatory conditions)

6/chronic inflammation causes platelets to have lower number of granules

Dr Gunnjng said he believes PoTS sits on the spectrum somewhere between autoinflammatory conditions and autoimmune (RA is a condition in the middle).

End/ Prof Gunning is starting a study I will very much be interested in the results of! #pots #Dysautonomia #immunesystem #chronicinflammation #DysConf2022