Causes And Risk Factors Of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a major risk factor for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. In this condition, the heart has abnormal electrical pathways that lead to abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The pathways let electrical currents bypass the AV node, which allows the currents to move too quickly to the ventricles. In this condition, the heart may also have an electrical pathway that bounces signals from the ventricles to the atria. Symptoms include the usual tachycardia, palpitations, dizziness, and faintness associated with other arrhythmias. Individuals with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome are sometimes born with extra electrical wiring in their heart or are born with a heart that is abnormal in other ways. The disorder is also a complication of other diseases such as Pompe disease, hypokalemic periodic paralysis, and tuberous sclerosis complex. Some individuals with the disorder are asymptomatic, but in rare cases, the syndrome can lead to heart attack and sudden death.

Learn about more causes and risk factors of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia now.