Elsevier

Journal of Electrocardiology

Volume 44, Issue 3, May–June 2011, Pages 357-358
Journal of Electrocardiology

Ginseng: a potential cause of long QT

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2010.08.007Get rights and content

Abstract

Ginseng is a frequently used food additive and considered to be relatively safe. Long QT syndrome can be hereditary or acquired. It presents as syncope, sudden cardiac death, or seizures. We report the novel case of a female patient without cardiovascular risk factors who developed prolonged QT with subsequent torsades de pointes during periods in which she was drinking large amounts of ginseng.

Section snippets

Case report

A 43-year-old healthy woman presented twice to the emergency department for loss of consciousness with brief tonic clonic movements. Result of physical examination on presentation was normal. Episodes recurred in the emergency department and were associated with cyanosis requiring intubation. Electrocardiogram on admission showed a sinus rhythm at 68 beats per minute and corrected QT (QTc) of 720 milliseconds (Bazett formula) (Fig. 1A). Electrolytes' levels, comprehensive toxicology screening,

Discussion

In our case, the diagnosis of long QT syndrome was delayed for 3 months as seizure disorder was first erroneously considered. The average delay in establishing long QT syndrome in patients who present with seizure can reach 11.8 years even in the presence of long QT interval that is usually disregarded or miscalculated.1 In this case, the delayed age of onset of torsades, the absence of familial history of sudden cardiac death, and the negative genetic workup favor the diagnosis of an acquired

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