Cardiac tachyarrhythmias in hereditary long QT syndromes presenting as a seizure disorder.
Patients with hereditary long QT disorders--Romano-Ward Syndrome and Jervell Lange-Nielsen Syndrome--sometimes present with seizures due to cardiac tachyarrhythmias. Two such patients are presented, emphasizing diagnostic clues--syncope, seizures with onset in early life, precipitation of attacks by emotional or physical stress, positive family history of sudden death and/or seizures, normal EEG and prolonged QT interval on ECG. Treatment is usually with adequate doses of sympathetic betablockers.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis*