Generality
Long QT, or long QT syndrome, is a rare heart condition, which leads to a lengthening of the depolarization / repolarization times of the ventricles. In other words, people with long QT syndrome have a heart whose ventricles take longer than normal to relax after a first contraction and prepare for the next contraction.
Long QT can be an inherited or acquired condition.
When present, typical symptoms consist of: syncope, palpitations and epilepsy episodes.
The diagnostic test that allows its identification is the electrocardiogram: the name "long QT" is linked to a particular characteristic of the electrocardiographic trace.
Therapy varies depending on whether long QT is inherited or acquired.
