• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Definition:

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome involves episodes of rapid heart rate ( tachycardia ) and baseline abnormal ECG caused by abnormal electrical pathways (circuits) in the heart.

Alternative Names:

Preexcitation syndrome; WPW

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Normally, electrical signals in the heart go through the atrioventricular (AV) node, the pathway connecting the two top chambers of the heart (atria) to the two bottom chambers (ventricles).

In people with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, there is an extra, or accessory, AV pathway.  This can lead to a condition of pre-excitation. Pre-excitation occurs when electrical activity bypasses the AV node and goes thru the extra pathway. In some patients, the extra pathway may result in re-entry supraventricular tachycardia, which is a rapid heart rate that starts above the two bottom chambers of the heart.

The location of the extra electrical pathway in Wolff-Parkinson-White can often be precisely identified.Wolff-Parkinson-White occurs is one of the most common causes of fast heart rate disorders (tachyarrhythmias) in infants and children.

How often the rapid heart rate occurs depends on the patient. Some people with Wolff-Parkinson-White may have just a few episodes of rapid heart rate, others may experience the rapid heart rate once or twice a week. In some cases, the patient has no symptoms. In this case, the extra pathway is often found when a doctor has requested an ECG for some other purpose.

• Review Date: 5/30/2006
• Reviewed By: Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided byVeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.