Overview
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) is a heart condition that occurs in people born with an extra electrical pathway for heartbeat signals. When electrical impulses or signals take this extra route instead of the usual one, they travel through your heart too quickly. This causes your heart to beat rapidly, a type of abnormal heart rhythm that healthcare providers call supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
A heart that beats too fast doesn’t allow enough time for blood to fill its chambers before the next heartbeat. That means your heart can’t send as much blood to your body as it should.
How common is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is rare. The condition happens in about 1 to 3 in 1,000 people in the world. Anyone can get Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and the condition may run in families. WPW is more common in people of Chinese descent.
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