National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect



Other Names:
Familial Lenègre disease; Familial Lev disease; Familial Lev-Lenègre disease; Familial Lenègre disease; Familial Lev disease; Familial Lev-Lenègre disease; Familial PCCD; Familial progressive heart block; Progressive familial heart block; Hereditary bundle branch defect See More
Categories:
Subtypes:

Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect (PCCD) is a is a cardiac (heart) conduction disorder that may progress to complete heart block. Affected people may not have any symptoms, or the condition may cause shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, abdominal pain, heart failure, or sudden death. Mutations in several genes, including the SCN5A, SCN1B and TRPM4 genes, can cause PCCD. Several other genes may be the cause when PCCD occurs with congenital heart disease. Familial PCCD is usually inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. However, not all people that have the mutated gene will have the condition; in those that do, symptoms and severity can vary (known as reduced penetrance and variable expressivity). Autosomal recessive inheritance and sporadic cases have been reported, but are rare. Treatment includes implantation of a pacemaker.[1]
Last updated: 3/20/2014

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abdominal pain
Pain in stomach
Stomach pain
[ more ]
0002027
Arrhythmia
Abnormal heart rate
Heart rhythm disorders
Irregular heart beat
Irregular heartbeat
[ more ]
0011675
Bundle branch block 0011710
Congestive heart failure
Cardiac failure
Cardiac failures
Heart failure
[ more ]
0001635
Dyspnea
Trouble breathing
0002094
Syncope
Fainting spell
0001279
Vertigo
Dizzy spell
0002321
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Complete heart block with broad QRS complexes 0005170
Left anterior fascicular block 0011711
Left posterior fascicular block 0005172
Right bundle branch block 0011712
Sudden cardiac death
Premature sudden cardiac death
0001645
Sudden death 0001699
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

  • The Heart Rhythm Society provides a searchable directory of HRS physician members for patient and physician referrals.


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
The differential diagnosis includes Brugada syndrome, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, long QT syndrome, lupus neonatal, progressive familial heart block type II, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Vincent Probst. Familial progressive cardiac conduction defect. Orphanet. December, 2013; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=871. Accessed 3/18/2014.