|
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) can sometimes develop even when a patient has no other underlying conditions. This type of VT is also known as idiopathic ventricular tachycardia and tends to be less dangerous than other causes of VT. These other causes include:
- Past heart attack that scarred one or both ventricles
- Congenital heart disease (heart disorders that are present since birth), such as tetralogy of Fallot or long QT syndrome
- Dilated cardiomyopathy or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Myocarditis
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)
- Past episode of cardiac arrest (aborted sudden cardiac death)
- Low potassium level (hypokalemia)
- Medications that treat other types of arrhythmias
- Some over-the-counter preparations, particularly diet pills containing ephedra.
Progress in genetic research has led to the discovery of a gene that is involved in regulating the heart’s electrical activity. Finding ways to use gene therapy to correct this defect, researchers hope, will significantly lower the risk of ventricular tachycardia progressing to more serious cardiac problems. | 
/doctor_89.jpg "ulcerative colitis tips")
