title: Arrhythmias in the developing heart.
abstract: Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias increases gradually with age; however, specific rhythm disturbances can appear even prior to birth and markedly affect foetal development. Relatively little is known about these disorders, chiefly because of their relative rarity and difficulty in diagnosis. In this review, we cover the most common forms found in human pathology, specifically congenital heart block, pre-excitation, extrasystoles and long QT syndrome. In addition, we cover pertinent literature data from prenatal animal models, providing a glimpse into pathogenesis of arrhythmias and possible strategies for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sedmera
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kockova
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vostarek
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raddatz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development*; D006327:Heart Block / Q000151:congenital* / Q000209:etiology; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: anti-arrhythmic drugs; cardiac development; chick embryo; conduction system; hypoxia; mouse