Odds of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome Increased With High Lithium Exposure

TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Children living in areas with higher levels of lithium in drinking water are more likely to be diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, according to a study published online Oct. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.Justin T. Teraoka, M.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a county-level ecological comparison of lithium levels in drinking water and the prevalence of WPW diagnoses among patients aged younger than 18 years in California.Overall, 686 (0.03 percent) of 2,329,090 patients were diagnosed with WPW. The researchers found that the odds of WPW were increased in areas with lithium levels ≥75th percentile (odds ratio, 1.71). Increased odds were also seen in areas above the lithium health-based screening limit (odds ratio, 1.29). Similar results were seen in a New York statewide cohort. In validation analyses, higher prevalence rates of supraventricular tachycardia, syncope, palpitations, and catheter ablation procedures were seen in areas where lithium levels were ≥75th percentile."The next step is to determine whether lithium itself is contributing to the development of these pathways and, if so, how much exposure matters and when during development it matters most," senior author Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., also from the University of California San Francisco, said in a statement. "That will require studies that can measure exposure much more precisely."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Odds of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome Increased With High Lithium Exposure

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