Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

In a normal heart, electrical signals use only one path when they move through the heart. As the electrical signal moves from the heart's upper chambers (the atria) to the lower chambers (the ventricles), it causes the heart to beat. For the heart to beat properly, the timing of the electrical signal is important.

Some people are born with an extra conduction pathway, which causes the electrical signal to arrive at the ventricles too soon. This condition is called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW).

Risk factors

There are no known risk factors for WPW. It is a congenital abnormality that people are born with, but it may not act up until later in life.

Symptoms

 Symptoms of WPW may include:

• rapid heart beat
• dizziness
• chest palpitations
• fainting
• cardiac arrest (rare)

Symptoms can occur at any age, but typically first appear in people between the ages of 11 and 50, although some people with WPW never have any symptoms.

Treatment

People with episodes of tachycardia should see a physician to consider treatment options. The most common procedure used to interrupt the abnormal pathway is radiofrequency or catheter ablation.