Breath Holding Spells in Children with Long QT Syndrome. 2015

Jeffrey A Robinson, and J Martijn Bos, and Susan P Etheridge, and Michael J Ackerman
Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, USA.

BACKGROUND Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic heart rhythm disorder that may present with syncope, seizures, or sudden cardiac death. Breath holding spells (BHS) occur in 5% of all children and have been noted in children with LQTS anecdotally. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of BHS in children diagnosed with LQTS at ≤5 years of age. METHODS A retrospective review was performed to identify children diagnosed with LQTS who were ≤5 years old at initial presentation to our LQTS clinic from August 1999 to November 2013. The mean length of follow-up was 6.4 ± 2.8 years. The electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation of BHS, as well as LQTS-associated symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatment. RESULTS The study cohort consisted of 115 children with LQTS (58% male; median age at diagnosis, 11 months [range, birth to 5 years]; mean corrected QT interval (QTc), 478 ± 60 milliseconds). At presentation, 80% of patients were asymptomatic. Genetic testing revealed type 1 LQTS (LQT1) in 48%. Overall, 5 of 115 patients (4.3%) had BHS (2 of 5 [40%] male, mean QTc: 492 ± 14 milliseconds, 4 [80%] with family history of LQTS). BHS were the presenting symptom in 1 of 23 symptomatic patients (4.3%). All BHS occurred in patients with LQT1 (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS Although BHS among children with LQTS are relatively rare and occur at similar frequency as the general population, they can be the presenting symptom for a heart rhythm disorder. Careful attention to BHS is important to distinguish an innocent BHS from a potential LQTS-triggered cardiac event so that proper treatment is initiated.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D007231 Infant, Newborn An infant during the first 28 days after birth. Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008133 Long QT Syndrome A condition that is characterized by episodes of fainting (SYNCOPE) and varying degree of ventricular arrhythmia as indicated by the prolonged QT interval. The inherited forms are caused by mutation of genes encoding cardiac ion channel proteins. The two major forms are ROMANO-WARD SYNDROME and JERVELL-LANGE NIELSEN SYNDROME. Electrocardiogram QT Prolonged
D008297 Male Males
D010641 Phenotype The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes, and between the GENOTYPE and the environment. Phenotypes
D011237 Predictive Value of Tests In screening and diagnostic tests, the probability that a person with a positive test is a true positive (i.e., has the disease), is referred to as the predictive value of a positive test; whereas, the predictive value of a negative test is the probability that the person with a negative test does not have the disease. Predictive value is related to the sensitivity and specificity of the test. Negative Predictive Value,Positive Predictive Value,Predictive Value Of Test,Predictive Values Of Tests,Negative Predictive Values,Positive Predictive Values,Predictive Value, Negative,Predictive Value, Positive
D011379 Prognosis A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations. Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D003937 Diagnosis, Differential Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures. Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004562 Electrocardiography Recording of the moment-to-moment electromotive forces of the HEART as projected onto various sites on the body's surface, delineated as a scalar function of time. The recording is monitored by a tracing on slow moving chart paper or by observing it on a cardioscope, which is a CATHODE RAY TUBE DISPLAY. 12-Lead ECG,12-Lead EKG,12-Lead Electrocardiography,Cardiography,ECG,EKG,Electrocardiogram,Electrocardiograph,12 Lead ECG,12 Lead EKG,12 Lead Electrocardiography,12-Lead ECGs,12-Lead EKGs,12-Lead Electrocardiographies,Cardiographies,ECG, 12-Lead,EKG, 12-Lead,Electrocardiograms,Electrocardiographies, 12-Lead,Electrocardiographs,Electrocardiography, 12-Lead

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