
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Andersen-Tawil syndrome secondary prevention
Introduction
Secondary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Prophylactic treatment aimed at reduction of attack frequency and severity can be achieved, as in other forms of periodic paralysis, with the following:
- Lifestyle and dietary modifications to avoid known triggers
- Use of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (acetazolamide 250-500 mg/1-2x/day or dichlorphenamide 50-100 mg/1-2x/day)
- Daily use of slow-release potassium supplements, which may also be helpful in controlling attack rates in individuals prone to hypokalemia. Elevating the serum potassium concentration (>4 mEq/L) has the added benefit of narrowing the QT interval, thus reducing the risk of LQT-associated arrhythmias.
- An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in individuals with tachycardia-induced syncope
- Empiric treatment with flecainide should be considered for significant, frequent ventricular arrhythmias in the setting of reduced left ventricular function.
Drugs to Avoid
- Affected individuals should avoid medications known to prolong QT intervals.
- Salbutamol inhalers, which may be used in the treatment of primary hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, should be avoided because of the potential for exacerbation of cardiac arrhythmias.
- Thiazide and other potassium-wasting diuretics may provoke drug-induced hypokalemia and could aggravate the QT interval.
Overview
Overview
There are no established measures for the secondary prevention of [disease name].
OR
Effective measures for the secondary prevention of Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) include avoidance of some antiarrhythmic drugs and anesthetic precautions.
Secondary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
There are no established measures for the secondary prevention of [disease name].
OR
Effective measures for the secondary prevention of Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) include:
- Antiarrhythmic drugs: Antiarrhythmic drugs should be used with extra caution as the drugs may deteriorate the neuromuscular symptoms. Which include
- Lidocaine
- Mexiletine
- Propafenone
- Quinidine
- Anesthetic care: Care should be taken to avoid malignant hyperthermia when giving anesthesia to the patients of Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS).
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Charmaine Patel, M.D. [2]; Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [3]
