Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
উলফ-পার্কিনসন-হোয়াইট সিন্ড্রোম
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a heart condition that affects the heart's rhythm. Many people with it have no symptoms at all. In some, though, the heart can suddenly start beating abnormally fast. These episodes can last anywhere from seconds to hours, and in rare cases they carry on for days.
Symptoms of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can cause several symptoms. These include:
- palpitations (a pounding or fluttering feeling in your chest or neck)
- feeling light-headed, dizzy or faint
- fainting
- shortness of breath
- feeling anxious
- sweating
- chest pain or discomfort
How often the episodes come can differ a lot from one person to the next. Some people have them every day. Others get them only now and then, and some have no symptoms at all.
Read more: Heart palpitations
How Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is diagnosed
If you have symptoms like palpitations, your doctor may suggest a test called an electrocardiogram (ECG). It measures your heart's rhythm and electrical activity.
Some people need to wear a small portable ECG to catch an episode of Wolff-Parkinson-White symptoms. A portable ECG measures your heart rate continuously for 24 hours, or you can switch it on yourself at the start of an episode.
If your doctor finds that you have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, they'll assess your symptoms. They may then refer you to a heart specialist (a cardiologist).
You may have an exercise treadmill test as well as an ECG, so that your heart can be assessed further.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can also be diagnosed when you have an ECG for another reason, for example as part of routine assessments before surgery. This means it may be found even if you don't have any symptoms.
Treatment for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Sometimes a rapid heart beat from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome settles down by itself, with no treatment at all. In other cases you will need medicine, or a procedure called catheter ablation.
In an emergency, the heart's electrical activity may have to be reset. Doctors call this electrical cardioversion.
What causes Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?
When your heart beats normally, its muscular walls contract (tighten and squeeze) to push blood out and around your body. The muscles then relax, and that lets the heart fill with blood again.
In Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a person has an extra piece of heart tissue. This creates a "short circuit", where the heart's electrical signals race around in a loop. The result can be a very fast heartbeat.