heart and blood vessel disorders
Wolff Parkinson White (WPW) Syndrome
Introduction
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a disorder in which an extra electrical connection between the atria and the ventricles is present at birth. People may have episodes of a very rapid heartbeat. Most people have awareness of heart beats (palpitations), and some feel weak or short of breath. Electrocardiography is used to make the diagnosis. Usually, episodes can be stopped by maneuvers that stimulate the vagus nerve, which slows the heart rate. (See also Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms and see Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is the most common of several disorders that involve an extra (accessory) electrical pathway between the atria and the ventricles. (Such disorders may produce atrioventricular reciprocating Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT, PSVT) .) This extra pathway makes fast abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) more likely to occur. The abnormal pathway that causes Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is present at birth, but the arrhythmias it causes usually become apparent only during the teens or early twenties. However, arrhythmias may occur during the first year of life or not until after age 60. 