short pr intervals?

[ariella]

Hi again folks

Just back from another episode of ER, for myasthenia symptoms that got out of hand and kicked off my POTS. This is already the third time that my ecg shows short pr intervals when I show up for breathing trouble. Years ago I was diagnosed--and then undiagnosed--as having Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. If this was indeed a misdiagnosis, any ideas as to what might be causing this?

thanks

Ariella

[taylortotmom]

What does the pr stand for?

Carmen

[MightyMouse]

I have no idea about what the implications are, but you might try a google search and see what comes up if you enter "short pr intervals" in quotes. Nina

http://www.google.com

[Laura]

Hi Ariella,

I had a similar diagnosis when I first became ill, they thought I had some sort of variant of WPW. I also have short PR interval and, for me, they explained that when I am tachycardic, the conduction in the heart is very rapid and can result in a short PR. It can be indicative of other problems, such as WPW, but for me they have decided that it is related to heart rate. I had an EP study done, which ruled out WPW and any other electrical dysfunction. This is simply what I was told for my particular situation, but I thought it might be interesting to you.

Carmen, I won't be able to explain this very well, but very basically when you have an ecg reading, each part of the "blip" that you see is assigned specific letters (P, Q ,R ,S ,T) and they use these as forms of measurment to help determine if there are problems. If your P-R reading is out of range (too short or too long a measurement from normal) it can indicate problems with conduction.

[persephone]

Talking about conduction, does anyone ever get massive p waves? My p wave can become bigger than the entire QRS complex when I go really fast (170+)

I'd be interested to hear- most drs tell me it's physically impossible- but then gawp when they see it on the monitors with their own eyes!

:D

[ariella]

thanks

I'm so confused

My heart rate was believe it or not only 74 laying down upon admission. (I went in because I was having severe trouble with my bulbar/respiratory muscles that didn't ease up after a nap, plus more generalized weakness i.e/ slow walking, unable to lift arms---in other words, exacerbation of myasthenia gravis. Lots of fun when POTS adds to the pot. I was presyncopal when I decided to go to the ER)

Laura, do you have short pr intervals also without tachy?

Guess it's time to see my cardiologist again. Still trying to find a pulmonologist.

On a brighter note, I'm amazed how much medical terminology I've picked up in Hebrew since moving to Jerusalem. Gosh, with two relatively rare medical conditions, one develops a vocabulary after a while. Not bad for someone who averaged a C in biology in high school.

[Guest Finrussak]

Ariella

I hadnt realized that you have been so ill. I apologize for sending you the email/PM. I have not been reading these posts often due to my own little challenges lately, plus other reasons. A cardiology consult would be very good as well as hopefully someone with both MG and POTS knowledge. Im guessing that due to overlap in neurochemicals, and because many with dysauto take MG drugs (mestinon) that the conditions work off of and often against each other!!! I cant imagine how you cope, kids, foreign language etc. Hang in and good luck. Im hoping that if it was serious enough they wouldnt have let you home, so you dont have to worry excessively as long as you get it all checked out. Feel better

Finette

[Laura]

Hi Ariella, I'm sorry you've had an exacerbation. That must have been scary for you. Has things settled back down for you? What did they do for you at the ER to try and manage it? I hope you can find a pulmonologist... that is a very important person to have when you are dealing with myasthenia.

I am not sure if I have the short PR without being tachy. I had some other abnormalities on the ECG along with the short pr that had initially pushed the diagnosis towards WPW or a variant of that. Sometimes a shortened PR can be an indicator of hypokalemia or hyopcalcemia. Also, a short PR without any other ECG changes/abnormalities can be a normal variant for some people and benign. Any change or abnormal finding needs to be fully checked out by your cardiologist, especially when you have a medical condition such as myasthenia.

Perse, that's strange. Is it large only when you are tachy? Usually it is enlarged because of larger amounts of electricity moving over the atrium.

Laura

[ariella]

ah, back again, telephone cord kept coming out...

Finnette, please don't apologize for the emails, when I'm not up to writing, I don't. Distraction is great. I have an appointment with the neuro in another two weeks, hoping for steroids, the condition is not being adequately managed for now. But always a pleasure to hear from you .

Laura, I was really lucky that this time things eased up on their own (before I saw a neuro 5 hours later). They did nothing for me except have me rest under an air conditioning vent, and it recovered spontaneously enough to continue resting at home. My house is once again a disaster zone. Anyway, I had planned a surprise birthday party for my husband over the weekend, and I was laying there wondering what to do if I would still be in the hospital.

Don't think that doctors' ignorance is limited to POTS. I found myself giving the resident a crash course in both. And I was innapropriately treated for myasthenic breathing issues this past summer. I am fortunate to still be alive.

[calypso]

Persephone,

I have been told I have "prominent inferior P waves," whatever that means. My ECG was read as normal, though. I think this probably shows up in people who are having tachy episodes or anxiety, because that's what I was having when I had that interpretation.

Amy