What's Torsades?

If you read the post below you may, like I, ask what is Torsades de pointes,  We know that fingolimod can cause heart arrhythmias on first dose. Torsades de pointes is another heart problem


Torsades de pointes or torsade depointes (TdP or simply torsade(s)) translated as "twisting of the points"), is a specific type of abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death. It is a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that exhibits distinct characteristics on the electrocardiogram (ECG). Prolongation of the QT interval can increase a person's risk of developing this abnormal heart rhythm.



Action potential of cardiac muscles can be broken down into five phases:
Repolarization of the cardiomyocytes occurs in phases 1-3, and is caused predominantly by the outward movement of potassium ions. In Torsades de pointes, however, the repolarization is prolonged; this can be due to electrolyte disturbances (hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia), bradycardia, certain drugs (disopyramide, sotalol, amiodarone, amitriptyline, chlorpromazine, erythromycin) and/or congenital syndromes (LQT1-LQT4 gene defect).
The prolongation of repolarisation may result in subsequent activation of an inward depolarisation current, known as an early after-depolarisation, which may promote triggered activity.Re-entry, due to a dispersion of refractory periods, is also possible; this is because M Cells (found in the mid myocardial layer) show a more prolonged repolarization phase in response to potassium blockage than other cells. In turn, this produces a zone of functional refractoriness (inability to depolarize) in the mid myocardial layer. When new action potential is generated, the mid myocardial layer will remain in a refractory period, but the surrounding tissue will depolarize. As soon as the mid myocardial layer is no longer in a refractory period, excitation from nearby tissue will cause a retrograde current and a reentry circuit that will result in a positive chronotropic cycle, leading to tachycardia.

Most episodes will revert spontaneously to a normal sinus rhythm. If this does not occur, however, possible adverse outcomes include palpitations, dizziness, lightheadedness (during shorter episodes), fainting (during longer episodes), and sudden cardiac death.

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