Lev's disease is an acquired complete heart block due to idiopathic fibrosis and calcification of the electrical conduction system

Electrical conduction system of the heart

The normal intrinsic electrical conduction of the heart allows electrical propagation to be transmitted from the Sinoatrial Node through both atria and forward to the Atrioventricular Node. Normal/baseline physiology allows further propagation from the AV node to the ventricle or Purkinje Fibers...

 of the heart

Heart

The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

. Lev's disease is most commonly seen in the elderly, and is often described as senile degeneration of the conduction system.

One form has been associated with SCN5A

SCN5A

The Nav1.5 is a sodium ion channel protein that in humans is encoded by the SCN5A gene. Mutations in the gene are associated with long QT syndrome type 3 , Brugada syndrome, primary cardiac conduction disease and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation....

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History

It was described independently by Maurice Lev and Jean Lenègre in 1964, but the condition is generally called after Lev.

Associated conditions

Stokes-Adams attack

Stokes-Adams attack

Stokes–Adams syndrome refers to a sudden, transient episode of syncope, occasionally featuring seizures. It is named after two Irish physicians, Robert Adams and William Stokes .-Signs and symptoms:...

s can be precipitated by this condition. These involve a temporary loss of consciousness resulting from marked slowing of the heart when the atrial impulse is no longer conducted to the ventricles. This should not be confused with the catastrophic loss of heartbeart seen with ventricular fibrillation or asystole.