Abi
Living with right ventricle outflow tract ventricular tachycardia (RVOT-VT) My condition came to light at the end of 2008 when I was 34. I’d been to the doctors to discuss these strange palpitations and dizzy spells I’d been experiencing, but was sent away and told it was due to “stress”. This seems to be the […]
Louise Bees
Living with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome Hi, I got diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) after nearly dying giving birth to my son. I had suffered with palpitations for years, but nothing was done about it. Then, whilst I was pregnant, the attacks became more frequent and when I told my doctor I was given a 24-hour heart monitor […]
Lyndsay Morton
Living with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome When I was 19 I was woken by a paramedic at 3am one morning. The paramedic had been called by my partner because I had stopped breathing and started fitting in my sleep. Subsequently I was told that I was “stressed and its nothing to worry about”! I kept getting severe […]
Cardiomemo and event recorder
These are more sophisticated versions of the basic Holter. Whenever you have an attack of symptoms, you can activate the device to record your heart’s rhythm. (You can also do this with the digital Holter.) The advantage of the cardiomemo is that it doesn’t have any leads, so you can just place it on your […]
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
The incidence of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is now thought to be higher than previously believed (affecting 1 in every 1000 individuals), due to the availability of better diagnostic techniques and general awareness of the disorder amongst the medical profession. ARVC was first recognised in the late 1970’s. It is anticipated that even more information regarding ARVC will be available in the coming years, to help us understand the natural history of the condition.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
In dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) the main pumping chambers of the heart are dilated and contract poorly. This results in a reduced volume of blood (low output) pumped around the body which fails to meet the body’s demand and features of what is commonly known as heart failure. There is a build up of fluid in […]
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
Read personal stories from myheart members with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy here. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition where the heart muscle becomes thickened. Traditionally, the term HCM was used for disease caused by abnormalities in genes which make the proteins responsible for contraction of the heart (sarcomeric contractile proteins). More recently the definition of HCM has […]
Long QT syndrome (LQTS)
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an ion channelopathy. Ion channelopathies (also sometimes referred to as arrhythmia syndromes or cardiac channelopathies)affect the electrical functioning of the heart without affecting the heart’s structure. They are a group of rare genetic conditions that are caused by abnormalities of the DNA known as mutations. They are usually inherited from parents although they can occur for the first time in a person. (If they occur for the first time they are described as sporadic.)
Progressive cardiac conduction defect (PCCD)
Progressive cardiac conduction defect (PCCD) is a rare condition. In people with PCCD, the heart’s electrical impulses are conducted very slowly and this results in the gradual development over time of heart block. (Heart block is a failure of the heart’s electrical impulse to conduct properly from the top chambers [the atria] to the bottom […]
Short QT syndrome (SQTS)
This rare condition is similar to but distinct from long QT syndrome (LQTS). As the name suggests the QT interval in carriers is shorter than in normal people. This means that the heart takes a shorter time to repolarise or reset itself,making it prone to ventricular arrhythmias. There is also an increased risk of a […]