Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is a disease in which the heart's natural pacemaker located in the upper right heart chamber (right atrium) becomes damaged and is no longer able to generate normal heartbeats at the normal rate. Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is a condition that gives you an abnormal heartbeat. It happens when your heart's natural pacemaker, the sinus node, no longer functions correctly.

Understanding the Context

To diagnose sick sinus syndrome, a health care provider performs a physical exam and asks about symptoms and medical history. Symptoms of sick sinus syndrome — such as dizziness, shortness of breath and fainting — only occur when the heart is beating irregularly. You may not have symptoms at the time of the appointment. If a medication caused the SSS heart problem, your treatment may include a prescription change.

Key Insights

Or you may need treatment for an issue a healthcare provider can reverse, like a metabolic condition. Sick sinus syndrome (SSS)—also known as sinus node dysfunction —is a term used to describe a number of different abnormalities in the heart rhythm (known as arrhythmias). Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) describes a group of heart rhythm problems that cause your heart to beat too slowly, too quickly, or irregularly. Sinus node dysfunction (SND), also known as sick sinus syndrome (SSS), is a group of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) usually caused by a malfunction of the sinus node, the heart's primary pacemaker. [1][2] Tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome is a variant of sick sinus syndrome in which the arrhythmia alternates between fast and slow heart rates.

Final Thoughts

Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is the name that doctors use to refer to heart rhythm problems. These occur when the sinus node, the heart’s natural pacemaker, does not keep a regular heartbeat.