wolfe parkinsons white

I have a friend who has some heart problems. She told me that is Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. I have never heard for this condition, so I am interested into hearing something about it. Can you tell me more about this, and how this can be treated? Is that some serious heart disease, or just slight disorder, so she could live normally with it?

When there is an extra conduction pathway, the electrical signal may arrive at the heart ventricles too soon. This condition is called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or WPW, and is in a category of electrical abnormalities called pre-excitation syndromes. This is recognized by certain changes on the electrocardiogram, which is a graphical record of the heart's electrical activity. The ECG will show that an extra pathway or shortcut exists from the atria to the ventricles, which helps doctor to diagnose condition. Many people with this syndrome who have symptoms or episodes of tachycardia may have dizziness, chest palpitations, fainting or, rarely, cardiac arrest. Other people with WPW never have tachycardia or some other symptoms, and are surprised when they are diagnosed with Wolf Parkinson White. About 80 percent of people first time notice symptoms between the ages of 11 and 50. People without symptoms usually do not need treatment, although people with episodes of tachycardia can often be treated with medication. However, sometimes such treatment does not work, and patients need to have more tests of their heart's electrical system.