Long Q Interval Any swimmer's out there who have this?

Bobinator - I discovered this article today that made me think of you and this thread: www.nytimes.com/.../28fitness.html I can't help but notice there is no female name on the short list of victims in that article. So if there is a significant gender difference (a straightforward Student's t-test will do), OP may take solace and continue her life-long swimming hobby with caution.

The latest update. One bit of great news and one not so great. Good: I received a message after school from the Genetic Testing Company; my insurance will pay for 100% of the testing. ($5,400.00 or so) Gee, I'm so happy I didn't drop the premium policy last year. I almost did since I never go to the Dr. except for check-ups. This test alone will probably make-up the profit I would have gained by taking a lesser policy. Not Good: My youngest daughter just flew in from Florida for a quick break before school starts (she goes to USF). I had an ekg scheduled for her today. She has Long Q Interval too. She didn't seem overly upset. The Dr. gave her the list of banned medications, I told her to just live normally till we get the genetic testing done. She was fine with that. She was a very good competitive swimmer till age 13 and then opted to run cross-country and track through middle and high school. She, like me has never had a symptom in her life. My oldest daughter is getting an ekg on Monday. Now my concern is my son. He is rarely sick and never goes to the doctor. He's coming down from Chicago this week-end to visit Sarah. I'm going to see if the Med-Check Clinic does ekg's. If they do I will lure him there with beer and duck him in the clinic for an ekg before he knows what's happening. jk, but I'll get him there somehow. I want to thank everyone who is following this thread for their kind thoughts, encouragement, and outstanding information and links. This thread is my outlet for venting and expressing my feelings about this situation. I really don't have anyone else I can talk to about this whole mess. I think the very few people I have told are somewhat freaked out and either think I'm exaggerating or just plain crazy. Either way I definitely feel like they don't want to hear about it so I'm zipping my lips. I've tried to tell a couple of my swimming team mates just for safety purposes. They sort of acted like I was talking about a common cold and seemed to think it would be fine in a week or so. I'm not looking for sympathy or answers. I just want a few folks to know in case of an emergency situation should arise. Hopefully the great luck I've had for the last 55 years will hold out for at least 50 more years and there won't be a problem! As far as my kids go I'm going to take up religion and start praying. We have all been so healthy and robust since forever. It's hard to imagine I have passed a rare and potentially serious condition to them. Obviously I know I didn't do this on purpose so I have no feelings of guilt, but sadness is what is eating through my soul at this point.

We all pass on good and bad things to our kids, both thru our genes and our ways of acting. I know for certain you have passed much more good than bad to yours. Keep the faith, Bob! It will be all right.

We all pass on good and bad things to our kids, both thru our genes and our ways of acting. I know for certain you have passed much more good than bad to yours. Keep the faith, Bob! It will be all right. Thanks Jim. It's true, you can't pick your parents. The genetic ones at least.

You are doing all the right things to get the best information for you and your family. With information, you can make the appropriate decisions.

I'm glad to read that you're getting more and better information, but sorry your teammates can't offer more sympathy. You have mine for sure.

Here's a question for the medical professionals out there: Where does the faulty heart rhythm originate? The brain, a chemical reaction, the smooth cardiac muscle itself, or maybe in the nervous system. I'm still trying to figure this out and I don't understand where the breakdown begins. In essence I'm saying perhaps my heart is great, it's just some kind of faulty wiring job. Am I correct?

Here's a question for the medical professionals out there: Where does the faulty heart rhythm originate? The brain, a chemical reaction, the smooth cardiac muscle itself, or maybe in the nervous system. I'm still trying to figure this out and I don't understand where the breakdown begins. In essence I'm saying perhaps my heart is great, it's just some kind of faulty wiring job. Am I correct? You are correct Robin. Your heart muscle is probably as strong as can be. There are several potential origins of the long QT. It can be intrinsic in the heart itself, meaning the ion channels in the heart muscle cells which allow repolarization can be different than normal. Electrolyte imbalances and drugs can artificially cause the same ion channel problems. Sometimes it can be due to the nervous system. I sometimes see patients with high vagal tone, or high vagal nerve activity with QTs a bit prolonged. The vagal nerve is the parasympathetic (relaxing) nerve. I recognize these parents as the light headed, fainting types. It can also be the other way around where the long QT causes a really slow heart rate by blocking every other beat, and people will be light headed. Now, I answered about where the long QT originates, but you asked specifically about the arrhythmia. Well, when the heart is beating fast (exercise, fear, etc.) there is a greater chance that one new depolarization from the atria will catch the ventricles partially depolarized, and as I explained earlier that can be a recipe for the crazy rhythm. You are better off either fully ready to accept the new depolarization or completely refractory. Hope I answered your question, and Gull please chime in as you are more the expert.

You are correct Robin. Your heart muscle is probably as strong as can be. There are several potential origins of the long QT. It can be intrinsic in the heart itself, meaning the ion channels in the heart muscle cells which allow repolarization can be different than normal. Electrolyte imbalances and drugs can artificially cause the same ion channel problems. Sometimes it can be due to the nervous system. I sometimes see patients with high vagal tone, or high vagal nerve activity with QTs a bit prolonged. The vagal nerve is the parasympathetic (relaxing) nerve. I recognize these parents as the light headed, fainting types. It can also be the other way around where the long QT causes a really slow heart rate by blocking every other beat, and people will be light headed. Now, I answered about where the long QT originates, but you asked specifically about the arrhythmia. Well, when the heart is beating fast (exercise, fear, etc.) there is a greater chance that one new depolarization from the atria will catch the ventricles partially depolarized, and as I explained earlier that can be a recipe for the crazy rhythm. You are better off either fully ready to accept the new depolarization or completely refractory. Hope I answered your question, and Gull please chime in as you are more the expert. Hmmm, I am very ADHA (diagnosed) and a little jittery. I have never fainted in my life. I have been dizzy with a bad inner-ear infection, but not lately. Could my adhd be the origin of my long Q? I've always regarded adhd as a gift. It makes you work in unusual ways but with never ending energy!

Good questions, Robin. I'm curious, for the medical people out there, about the differences between men and women and QTc intervals. I've read a few articles now that say QT intervals in men and women are different. It seems that women between the onset of menses and menopause have longer QT intervals regardless of treatments (except for LQTS2). It sounds like androgens have an effect on QT and women's hormones cause longer QT even with treatment. I just read one article that explained that women make up 60-70% of new diagnoses of LQTS currently. I'm wondering if the "normal QT measurements" are based on what's normal for men. When you take an athletic woman and measure her against normal standards for men, I'm wondering if the same set of measurements should indicate the same diagnosis for both sexes. From: emedicine.medscape.com/.../157826-overview New cases of long QT syndrome are diagnosed more in female patients (60-70% of cases) than male patients. The female predominance may be related to the relatively prolonged QTc (as determined by using the Bazett formula) in women compared with men and to a relatively higher mortality rate in young men.