From GeneReviews Overview
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac electrophysiologic disorder, characterized by QT prolongation and T-wave abnormalities on the EKG that are associated with tachyarrhythmias, typically the ventricular tachycardia torsade de pointes (TdP). TdP is usually self-terminating, thus causing a syncopal event, the most common symptom in individuals with LQTS. Such cardiac events typically occur during exercise and emotional stress, less frequently during sleep, and usually without warning. In some instances, TdP degenerates to ventricular fibrillation and causes aborted cardiac arrest (if the individual is defibrillated) or sudden death. Approximately 50% of untreated individuals with a pathogenic variant in one of the genes associated with LQTS have symptoms, usually one to a few syncopal events. While cardiac events may occur from infancy through middle age, they are most common from the preteen years through the 20s. Some types of LQTS are associated with a phenotype extending beyond cardiac arrhythmia. In addition to the prolonged QT interval, associations include muscle weakness and facial dysmorphism in Andersen-Tawil syndrome (LQTS type 7); hand/foot, facial, and neurodevelopmental features in Timothy syndrome (LQTS type 8); and profound sensorineural hearing loss in Jervell and Lange-Nielson syndrome.
From MedlinePlus GeneticsRomano-Ward syndrome is a condition that causes a disruption of the heart's normal rhythm (arrhythmia). This disorder is a form of long QT syndrome, which is a heart condition that causes the heart (cardiac) muscle to take longer than usual to recharge between beats. The term "long QT" refers to a specific pattern of heart activity that is detected with an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which is a test used to measure the electrical activity of the heart. In people with long QT syndrome, the part of the heartbeat known as the QT interval is abnormally long. Abnormalities in the time it takes to recharge the heart lead to abnormal heart rhythms.
The arrhythmia associated with Romano-Ward syndrome can lead to fainting (syncope) or cardiac arrest and sudden death. However, some people with Romano-Ward syndrome never experience any health problems associated with the condition.
Fifteen types of long QT syndrome have been defined based on their genetic cause. Some types of long QT syndrome involve other cardiac abnormalities or problems with additional body systems. Romano-Ward syndrome encompasses those types that involve only a long QT interval without other abnormalities.
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/romano-ward-syndrome