![Mayo Clinic home page [logo]](/images-global/mayologo.gif)
Share this site with others using one of these sharing tools.
To link to this article, paste this block of HTML code onto your webpage.
Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgSpecialists at Mayo Clinic have extensive experience evaluating, treating and counseling children and adults with long QT syndrome (LQTS). Mayo Clinic has also been a leader in research related to identifying people who are at greatest risk for sudden death related to long QT syndrome.
Each year, Mayo Clinic specialists evaluate more than 300 patients with long QT syndrome, making Mayo one of the most experienced centers in the world. The Long QT Syndrome Clinic and Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have one of the most comprehensive programs internationally for families affected with this condition.
Tests needed to diagnose LQTS vary with each individual. The diagnosis can sometimes be made from an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Other times, doctors may diagnose the condition with genetic tests. Read more about long QT syndrome diagnosis.
Treatment for long QT syndrome depends on what type of LQTS the patient has. Treatment for LQTS can involve medications (either the addition of medication or the subtraction of current medication), medical devices, surgery or lifestyle changes. The goal of treatment is either to prevent the long QT heart from beating out of control or to prevent sudden death. Read more about long QT syndrome treatment options.
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a rare, and sometimes fatal, heart rhythm disorder that is often present from birth. It gets its name from the peculiar pattern of the electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) seen in people with the disease. Long QT syndrome results from abnormalities in the heart's electrical recharging system, the part of the heart that causes it to beat.
People with LQTS may experience fast, chaotic heartbeats. The rapid heartbeats may lead to fainting or, in some instances, may cause sudden death. It affects one person in every 5,000 to 7,000 people in the United States.
Read more about long QT syndrome at www.MayoClinic.com.
A family tragedy makes Michelle Tipton and Dustin Huber active in educating others about long QT syndrome.
Read Dustin's story.
Read all patient stories.
Mayo Clinic's Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory does molecular testing of the genes responsible for long QT syndrome and searches for novel causes in an effort to advance understanding of this "silent killer." Read more about research.
.
