What is Wellens Syndrome?

Many people have not heard of Wellens syndrome in their lives. Due to the symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath after the onset of the disease, some patients may easily confuse it with myocardial infarction. In fact, Wellens syndrome is also considered a cardiovascular disease. Therefore, in daily life, it is recommended to reduce the intake of salt and fat, eat more whole grains, and maintain regular schedules, thereby reducing the harm to the heart and reducing the incidence of Wellens syndrome. This article provides a detailed introduction to the electrocardiogram characteristics of Wellens syndrome, which may be helpful for some patients.

Wellens syndrome is not uncommon in clinical practice, with an incidence rate of 10% to 15% reported in the United States, but there are no statistical data in China yet. This type of patient occurs after the relief of chest pain in patients with unstable angina (UA), with normal or mildly elevated myocardial injury markers. Echocardiography shows weakened motion of the anterior wall of the left ventricle, and coronary angiography (CAG) reveals severe stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. The longer the duration of inverted T waves, the more severe the tendency of the lesion.

1. Characteristic changes in T waves mainly appear in the precordial leads, primarily in V2-3 leads, and sometimes can extend to V1-6 leads. In a few cases, there are also characteristic changes in leads II, III, and aVF.

2. Abnormal Q waves or decreased or disappeared R wave amplitudes.

3. Original ST segment displacement or mild elevation.