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Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Preexcitation syndrome; WPW

Definition:

A syndrome involving episodes of rapid heart rate (tachycardia) caused by abnormal electrical pathways (circuits) in the heart.

Causes and Risks

Normally, the electrical stimulus of the heart travels through the atria and then through the atrioventricular (AV) node where it is delayed before continuing into the ventricles.

Wolff-Parkinson-White is a condition where there is an extra (accessory) atrioventricular conduction pathway. The extra pathway bypasses the normal conduction delay of the AV node and it may cause a form of "supraventricular tachycardia" (a rapid heart rate that is initiated above the ventricles) called reentry. The extra pathway in Wolff-Parkinson-White can often be located precisely.

Wolff-Parkinson-White occurs in approximately 4 out of 100,000 people, and is one of the most common causes of tachyarrhythmia (fast heart rate disorder) in infants and children.

The frequency of these episodes of rapid heart rate varies from person to person. Patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White have isolated episodes of the arrhythmia -- "frequent" episodes would be those occurring once or twice a week. Many Wolff-Parkinson-White patients never have arrhythmia, are completely free of symptoms, and their condition is discovered by reviewing an ECG requested for some other purpose.

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