Does WPW run in families?
Most cases of WPW syndrome occur randomly in the general population for no apparent reason (sporadically) and do not run in families. Some cases of WPW syndrome run in families and may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.
Are you born with WPW syndrome?
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) is a type of heart condition you are born with (congenital). It causes a rapid heart rate. If you have WPW, you may have episodes of palpitations or rapid heartbeats. WPW affects less than 1 in 100 people.
How does someone get WPW?
Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a relatively common heart condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time. The cause is an extra electrical connection in the heart. This problem with the heart is present at birth (congenital), although symptoms may not develop until later in life.
Who is at risk for WPW?
Who’s at Risk. WPW affects both men and women. In most cases, the cause of WPW isn’t known, but doctors have identified mutations in a gene that may be responsible. A small number of people may be at risk because they inherited this gene from a parent.
Is Wolff White syndrome hereditary?
Rarely, WPW syndrome is passed down through families (inherited). The inherited, or familial, type is associated with a thickened heart muscle. This is a form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. To understand the causes of WPW syndrome, it may be helpful to know how the heart typically beats.
Does WPW get worse with age?
Therefore, the prevalence of a potentially malignant form of WPW syndrome in asymptomatic subjects does not decrease significantly with age.
Can WPW cause sudden death?
The most common arrhythmia in WPW patients is atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia, which occurs in 80% of cases. Atrial fibrillation is common, occurring in one-third of patients and is a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. Ventricular fibrillation is the most common cause of sudden death in WPW patients.
Does WPW skip a generation?
A small subset of cases of WPW are inherited; however, these cases are inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion, meaning that they occur in every generation and do not skip generations.
Can I exercise if I have WPW?
While some studies suggest that exercise does not alter accessory pathway characteristics, exercise appears to put some athletes with WPW at risk for a lethal arrhythmia. It is unclear whether these athletes are symptomatic before SCD.
Is WPW considered a disability?
The Veteran’s Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is rated 60 percent disabling, effective April 19, 2006, under Diagnostic Code 7011, used for rating sustained ventricular arrhythmias.
Is there a genetic test for WPW?
This is a next generation sequencing (NGS) test appropriate for individuals with clinical signs and symptoms, suspicion of, or family history of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Sequence variants and/or copy number variants (deletions/duplications) within the PRKAG2 gene will be detected with >99% sensitivity.