• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Preexcitation syndrome; WPW

Symptoms:

A person with WPW syndrome may have:

• Palpitations (a sensation of feeling your heart beat)
• Light-headedness
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain or chest tightness

Signs and tests:

An exam performed during a tachycardia episode will reveal a heart rate greater than 150 (normal is 60 to 100 beats per minute), and blood pressure that is normal or low. If  the patient is currently not having tachycardia, the physical exam may be completely normal. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome may be revealed by the following tests:

• ECG ( electrocardiogram )
• Continuous ambulatory monitoring ( Holter monitor )
• EPS , an intracardiac electrophysiologic study

• 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.