Malmö POTS Symptom Score
MAPS: a 12-symptom score for POTS symptom burden, past 7 days
The Malmö POTS Symptom Score (MAPS) was developed at Lund University and published in the Journal of Internal Medicine in 2023. It is the first self-rating score designed specifically for POTS. You rate 12 common symptoms (five cardiac, seven non-cardiac) from 0 (no symptoms) to 10 (very pronounced) for the past 7 days. The total runs from 0 to 120.
In the validation study, patients with tilt-test-confirmed POTS averaged 78. Healthy controls averaged 14. A threshold of 42 or more separated the groups with 97% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Because it covers a single week, MAPS suits regular tracking: before and after starting a medication, an intervention, or a pacing change.
MAPS complements the other autonomic tools here: the COMPASS-31 covers autonomic symptoms more broadly across six domains, and the NASA lean test gives you the objective heart-rate data that a POTS assessment actually requires. A high MAPS score plus a positive lean test is a strong, structured package to bring to an appointment.
Your MAPS score
Symptom breakdown
Understanding your score
In the validation study, healthy controls averaged 14 points (most scoring under 30), while tilt-confirmed POTS patients averaged 78. The optimal threshold separating the two groups was a total score of 42 or more (97% sensitivity, 98% specificity). The most prominent symptoms in POTS patients were palpitations, fatigue, and concentration difficulties.
MAPS measures symptom burden, not diagnosis. It cannot separate POTS from other conditions with overlapping symptoms, because the validation compared POTS patients only with healthy people. Its practical uses are simpler: quantifying how symptomatic a week has been, tracking change over time, and communicating severity to clinicians. If you have not yet had orthostatic testing, the NASA lean test guide shows you how to record the heart-rate data that actually defines POTS.
Because the recall period is 7 days, repeating MAPS weekly or fortnightly during any treatment change gives a usable trend line. Record your scores in a note or the symptom diary.
This is not a diagnosis. Discuss your results with your doctor or specialist.