Rehydrating properly after a tummy upset is also essential, usually with supplements containing salt and sugar. Avoiding stressful situations may also be recommended. However, you may need to make some lifestyle adjustments to reduce your risk of having blackouts.įor example, you may not be able to exercise strenuously or play competitive sports, and may need to try to avoid startling noises, such as alarm clocks. With the right treatment, it's possible to avoid long QT syndrome having a major impact on your day-to-day life. If medicines is causing long QT syndrome, your medicines will be reviewed and an alternative may be prescribed. In some cases of long QT syndrome, surgery may be needed to control the flow of chemicals into the heart. If your symptoms are frequent or severe, and you have a high risk of having a life-threatening arrhythmia, you may need to have a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted. Beta blockers, such as propranolol or nadolol, may be prescribed to help control irregular heartbeats and slow down your heart rate. Most people with inherited long QT syndrome will need treatment with medicines. It can also help identify other family members who may have inherited the faulty gene and need clinical assessment. Genetic testing may be needed to identify the faulty gene causing long QT syndrome. Sometimes an exercise ECG will be needed to confirm the diagnosis. If you have long QT syndrome, the trace of the QT section (showing part of the heartbeat) will be longer than normal. you have a family history of unexpected and unexplained sudden deathĪn ECG records your heart's rhythm and electrical activity.Diagnosing long QT syndromeĪ GP may recommend you have an ECG and refer you to a heart specialist (cardiologist) if: The abnormal gene affects the heart's electrical activity.Ĭertain medicines can also trigger long QT syndrome, including some types of:īut drug-induced long QT syndrome tends to only affect people who already have a tendency to develop the condition.įor more information, see Cardiac Risk in the Young: medicines people with long QT syndrome should avoid. Long QT syndrome is usually caused by a faulty gene inherited from a parent. It can also be an underlying cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Long QT syndrome is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young, otherwise healthy, people. If you're able to, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until medical help arrives.
This is called cardiac arrest, and the heart rarely returns to normal if it is not electrically corrected with shock.Ĭall 999 for an ambulance if someone with long QT syndrome suddenly collapses and does not regain consciousness. The heart usually returns to its normal rhythm after it's been beating abnormally.īut if it continues to beat abnormally and is not treated in time with a defibrillator, the heart will stop pumping and the person will die.
Long QT syndrome is an inherited heart problem that affects how your heart beats.
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