Frederick's syndrome is a rather serious deviation in the work of the heart, first diagnosed by the Belgian physiologist Leon Frederick in 1904. Although few have heard of this disease, it is quite common.
Earlier, in the treatment of the Frederick phenomenon, the use of anticholinergic drugs was actively practiced, but since they can cause mental abnormalities, modern medicine is gradually abandoning them.
Syndrome Description
Frederick's syndrome is a combination of features that are characteristic of complete transverse block and atrial fibrillation.
With this deviation, electrical signals completely stop coming to the ventricles from the atria, which lose the ability to contract regularly and in an orderly manner.
The absence of excitatory impulses causes the formation of foci in the walls or lower part of the atrioventricular node of the ventricles, which independently begin to produce electrical signals. This becomes a kind of compensation, but does not save the situation, since the pulse frequency is insufficient (a maximum of fortysixty signals).
As a result, the ventricles of the heart contract more slowly than in a he althy person, which means that the blood flow slows down, which causes oxygen starvation and is the main danger of a disease called "Frederick's syndrome".
Main symptoms
Among the main symptoms of Frederick's syndrome (or phenomenon) are:
- Smooth but slow heart rate.
- Dizziness.
- Weakness.
- Short of breath.
- Fatigue.
- Drowsy.
- Faints.
All this is characteristic of a state where the brain does not receive enough oxygen.
Causes of the syndrome
Frederick Syndrome does not occur from scratch if the heart is he althy. It is a consequence, a side effect of such serious diseases as:
- Myocardial infarction.
- Defects of the heart.
- Postinfarction cardiosclerosis.
- Myocarditis.
- Cardiomyopathy.
- Angina.
These diseases cause sclerotic processes, in which connective tissue grows in the heart. The latter displaces and replaces the cells that are responsible for the generation and transmission of electrical impulses.
Diagnosis of the Frederic Phenomenon
Since the symptoms of this disease are similar to the manifestations of many other ailments, Frederick's syndrome can only be diagnosed using the methodelectrocardiograms.
Moreover, it is desirable to observe the behavior of the heart during the day to see what rhythm happens at different times of the day and night, to see how the heart muscle reacts to stress, and so on.
Usually, when diagnosed with Frederick's syndrome, the ECG looks like this:
- P waves are missing, they are replaced by flickering or fluttering waves (f and F).
- Ventricular rhythm is regular, but the number of beats per minute does not exceed 40-60 times.
- When the rhythm is formed in the lower part of the atrioventricular junction, the ventricular complexes are narrow and have a normal, without deviation, morphology.
- If the rhythm forms in the walls, the ventricular complexes look dilated and deformed.
Frederick Syndrome: treatment and prevention
If you have the symptoms described above, you should definitely consult a doctor and undergo an examination. Oxygen starvation is a dangerous condition that can cause serious brain abnormalities. And with Frederick's syndrome, it can last up to five to seven seconds, when the heart actually stops (this occurs in cases where there is no compensation of impulses in the form of a ventricular rhythm).
Timely diagnosis will minimize the risks, and treatment will allow you to get rid of the disease and live a full life. The prognosis of the disease is favorable.
Today, Frederick's syndrome is eliminated, as a rule, by implanting an implant into the heart muscle that producesimpulses instead of atria. The electrode is inserted into the ventricle, and its rhythm is programmed in advance and depends on the age and general condition of the patient.
Prevention as such does not exist. It lies in the prevention and proper treatment of diseases that cause this phenomenon.
