Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Heart Journal logoLink to British Heart Journal
. 1980 Dec;44(6):684–691. doi: 10.1136/hrt.44.6.684

Sick sinus syndrome in childhood.

H Ector, L G Van der Hauwaert
PMCID: PMC482466  PMID: 7459152

Abstract

The clinical and electrocardiographic findings in five children with the sick sinus syndrome and an otherwise normal heart are described. There were three boys and two girls. Their age at onset of either bradycardia or symptoms ranged from 1 day to 7 years. In one patient, the youngest ever reported with this syndrome, bradycardia was noted before birth. Four children presented with neurological symptoms--attacks of dizziness, fainting spells, or syncope. One boy, treated for epilepsy before the underlying arrhythmia ws diagnosed, died suddenly while playing. One child had near-fatal syncope caused by ventricular tachycardia. Continuous 24-hour electrocardiographic monitoring is the best method of assessing the severity of the condition. Sinus bradycardia, sinuatrial block, and periods of sinus arrest up to 4.8 seconds were recorded. Two patients had associated atrioventricular block and were therefore presumed to have binodal disease. Atrial fibrillation or flutter occurred in three patients. Isolated sick sinus syndrome may be a life-threatening condition in childhood for which, in selected cases, the insertion of a permanent pacemaker is indicated.

Full text

PDF
687

Images in this article

686Image
on p.686
686Image
on p.686
687Image
on p.687
687Image
on p.687
688Image
on p.688
688Image
on p.688

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bernuth G., Lang D., Hofstetter R. Tachyarrhythmische Synkopen unter Belastung bei Sinusbradykardie und normalem QT-Intervall in Ruhe. Z Kardiol. 1977 Feb;66(2):55–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bouvrain Y., Slama R., Temkine J. Le bloc sino-auriculaire et les "maladies du sinus": réflexions à propos de 63 observations. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 1967 Jun;60(6):753–773. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brodsky M., Wu D., Denes P., Kanakis C., Rosen K. M. Arrhythmias documented by 24 hour continuous electrocardiographic monitoring in 50 male medical students without apparent heart disease. Am J Cardiol. 1977 Mar;39(3):390–395. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(77)80094-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ferrer M. I. The sick sinus syndrome. Circulation. 1973 Mar;47(3):635–641. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.47.3.635. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gillette P. C., el-Said G. M., Sivarajan N., Mullins C. E., Williams R. L., McNamara D. G. Electrophysiological abnormalities after Mustard's operation for transposition of the great arteries. Br Heart J. 1974 Feb;36(2):186–191. doi: 10.1136/hrt.36.2.186. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Greenwood R. D., Rosenthal A., Sloss L. J., LaCorte M., Nadas A. S. Sick sinus syndrome after surgery for congenital heart disease. Circulation. 1975 Aug;52(2):208–213. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.52.2.208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HAN J., MOE G. K. NONUNIFORM RECOVERY OF EXCITABILITY IN VENTRICULAR MUSCLE. Circ Res. 1964 Jan;14:44–60. doi: 10.1161/01.res.14.1.44. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. James T. N., Froggatt P., Marshall T. K. Sudden death in young athletes. Ann Intern Med. 1967 Nov;67(5):1013–1021. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-67-5-1013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Krikler D. M., Curry P. V. Torsade De Pointes, an atypical ventricular tachycardia. Br Heart J. 1976 Feb;38(2):117–120. doi: 10.1136/hrt.38.2.117. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lehmann H., Klein U. E. Familial sinus node dysfunction with autosomal dominant inheritance. Br Heart J. 1978 Nov;40(11):1314–1316. doi: 10.1136/hrt.40.11.1314. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nordenberg A., Varghese P. J., Nugent E. W. Spectrum of sinus node dysfunction in two siblings. Am Heart J. 1976 Apr;91(4):507–512. doi: 10.1016/s0002-8703(76)80334-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Onat A., Domaniç N., Onat T. Sick sinus syndrome in an infant: severe disturbance of impulse formation and conduction involving the S-A node and the A-V junctional tissue. Eur J Cardiol. 1974 Aug;2(1):79–83. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Radford D. J., Izukawa T., Rowe R. D. Evaluation of children with ventricular arrhythmias. Arch Dis Child. 1977 May;52(5):345–353. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.5.345. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Radford D. J., Izukawa T. Sick sinus syndrome. Symptomatic cases in children. Arch Dis Child. 1975 Nov;50(11):879–885. doi: 10.1136/adc.50.11.879. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Reiffel J. A., Bigger J. T., Jr, Cramer M., Reid D. S. Ability of Holter electrocardiographic recording and atrial stimulation to detect sinus nodal dysfunction in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with sinus bradycardia. Am J Cardiol. 1977 Aug;40(2):189–194. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(77)90007-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rokseth R., Hatle L. Prospective study on the occurrence and management of chronic sinoatrial disease, with follow-up. Br Heart J. 1974 Jun;36(6):582–587. doi: 10.1136/hrt.36.6.582. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rubenstein J. J., Schulman C. L., Yurchak P. M., DeSanctis R. W. Clinical spectrum of the sick sinus syndrome. Circulation. 1972 Jul;46(1):5–13. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.46.1.5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sarachek N. S., Leonard J. L. Familial heart block and sinus bradycardia. Classification and natural history. Am J Cardiol. 1972 Apr;29(4):451–458. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(72)90432-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Scherlag B. J., Lau S. H., Helfant R. H., Berkowitz W. D., Stein E., Damato A. N. Catheter technique for recording His bundle activity in man. Circulation. 1969 Jan;39(1):13–18. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.39.1.13. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schneider M. D., Roller D. H., Morganroth J., Josephson M. E. The syndromes of familial atrioventricular block with sinus bradycardia: prognostic indices, electrophysiologic and histopathologic correlates. Eur J Cardiol. 1978 Jul;7(5-6):337–351. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Scott O., Macartney F. J., Deverall P. B. Sick sinus syndrome in children. Arch Dis Child. 1976 Feb;51(2):100–105. doi: 10.1136/adc.51.2.100. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stopfkuchen H., Jüngst B. K. Congenital sinus bradycardia combined with congenital total atrioventricular block. Eur J Pediatr. 1977 Jul 1;125(3):219–224. doi: 10.1007/BF00480600. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Williams W. G., Izukawa T., Olley P. M., Trusler G. A., Rowe R. D. Permanent cardiac pacing in infants and children. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 1978 Oct;1(4):439–447. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1978.tb03505.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Yabek S. M., Jarmakani J. M. Sinus node dysfunction in children, adolescents, and young adults. Pediatrics. 1978 Apr;61(4):593–598. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Young D., Eisenberg R. E. Symptomatic sinus arrest in a young girl. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Apr;52(4):331–334. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.4.331. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. ZETERQVIST P. The syndrome of familial atrial septal defect, heart arrhythmia and hand malformation (Holt-Oram) in mother and son. Acta Paediatr. 1963 Jan;52:115–122. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1963.tb04085.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Heart Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES