Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
What causes WPW syndrome?
When the heart beats, its muscular walls contract (tighten and squeeze) to force blood out and around the body. They then relax, allowing the heart to fill with blood again. This is controlled by electrical signals.
In WPW syndrome, there's an extra electrical connection in the heart, whichallows electrical signals to bypass the usual route and form a short circuit. This means the signals travelround and round in a loop, causing episodes where the heart beats very fast.
Theextra electricalconnection is caused by a strand of heart muscle that grows while the unborn baby is developing in the womb.
It's not clear exactly why this happens. Itjust seems to occur randomly in some babies, although rare cases have been found to run in families.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Read about Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a heart condition that can cause the heart to beat abnormally fast. Find out about the symptoms, causes and treatments.
Is it serious?
It can be scary to be told that you have a problem with your heart, but WPW syndrome usually isn't serious. Many people will have no symptoms or only experience occasional, mild episodes of their hear
Symptoms of WPW syndrome
If you have WPW syndrome, you'll experience episodes where your heart suddenly starts racing, before stopping or slowing down abruptly. This rapid heart rate is called supraventricular tachycardia (SV
When to seek medical advice
If you haven't been diagnosed with WPW syndrome, you should contact your GP or call NHS 111 as soon as possible if your heart startsbeating unusually fast and you have any of the above symptoms. Dial
What causes WPW syndrome?
When the heart beats, its muscular walls contract (tighten and squeeze) to force blood out and around the body. They then relax, allowing the heart to fill with blood again. This is controlled by elec
Diagnosing WPW syndrome
Ifyour doctorthinks you might haveWPW syndrome after assessing your symptoms, they'll probably recommendhaving an electrocardiogram (ECG) and will refer you to acardiologist (heart specialist). An ECG
Treatments for WPW syndrome
In many cases, episodes of abnormal heart activity associated with WPW syndrome are harmless, don't last long, and settle down on their own without treatment. You may therefore not need any treatment
Information about you
If you have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, your clinical team will pass information about you on to the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Diseases Registration Service (NCARDRS). This helps scient
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