- Jeopardy! used "Grinch syndrome" as a clue to describe Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
- Viewers and social media users complained, saying the clue was offensive.
- The condition causes lightheadedness, fainting, and rapid heartbeat.
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The gameshow Jeopardy! has apologized for using a slur and inaccurate phrasing to describe a medical condition in a clue on Monday's show, saying the term was "outdated and inaccurate."
The clue fell under the "Plain-Named Maladies" category.
Savannah Guthrie read out the clue, which was: "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is also known as Grinch syndrome because this organ is too small." The correct answer, according to the show, was: the heart.
Viewers and Twitter users immediately started to complain about the entire clue, describing it as offensive, inaccurate, and misogynistic.
POTS, which affects blood flow and the autonomic nervous system, mostly occurs in women aged 13 to 50 years old. One to three million in the US have POTS, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms include lightheadedness, fainting, and rapid heartbeat, and the condition also affects the body's blood flow.
One POTS symptom, however, is not a small heart, one Twitter user pointed out.
-blazy susan (@kvz93) June 22, 2021
Dysautonomia International, an organization that aims to raise money and spread awareness about dysautonomia medical conditions also demanded an apology on Twitter.
-Dysautonomia Intl. (@Dysautonomia) June 22, 2021
ABC, which airs Jeopardy!, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment.