Louise Dee

Living with long QT syndrome Hi, my name is Louise. It all started in 1990 when I was 8 yrs old. I woke up hearing an alarm clock and realised it was my mother’s for work, so I got out of bed and went to turn the alarm off. When I went into her bedroom […]

Rob Jackson

Living with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) I am a 31 year old Sergeant in the Army Air Corps and until recently was a Lynx Helicopter pilot and aircraft commander operating in Northern Ireland. I joined the Army at 18 and have spent the past 12 years living an active, healthy lifestyle as a soldier. […]

Barry Hooton

Living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and an undiagnosed condition This story comes from two people – me, Anna (aged 17), a.k.a. “the girlfriend” and Barry (aged 23), a.k.a. “the mystery.” Its a long story, but perhaps may give hope to those who are also undiagnosed just like Barry. This story begins on June […]

David Hillson

Living with suspected arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) In February 2008 I was out running with a friend. It was bitterly cold and I had not run over the Christmas period so this run was my attempt to ‘get back into it’! I had always been fairly healthy, played football all my life (and rugby […]

Coronary angiography and electrophysiological study (EPS)

Your doctor may suggest that you have tests such as coronary angiography or an electrophysiological study (EPS). Both these tests are performed in an X-ray laboratory that allows the body and any medical tools (such as cardiac catheter tubes or pacing wires) to be seen using an X-ray camera. You will be asked to lie […]

Brugada syndrome

In the western world it affects mainly young and middle-aged adult men. It has been associated with mutations in the same sodium channel that is affected in long QT syndrome, but this appears to account for only 1 in every 5 people with the condition. The sodium channel behaves abnormally in that movement of sodium ions into the cells is restricted. This results in particular changes on the ECG but no abnormalities in the structure of the heart. Other genes have been described as being involved in Brugada syndrome that produce calcium ion channels and a protein in the cell surface (membrane) that interacts with the sodium channel. They have, however, only been detected in a small number of carriers.

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 […]

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