Question Title: Enlarfged Heart

My 11 month old daughter recently underwent a bone marrow transplant for ALL. She has hypertension and was recently diagnosed with a "slightly enlarged heart." My questions are 1) what types of things cause enlarged hearts, especially in infants and 2) what are the short and long term consequences associated with this.
Thanks

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Dear Glenn,
Although there are many things that can cause an enlarged heart, many are chronic disease states such as hypertension and coronary artery disease.
In very young patients therefore the cause is more likely to be related to a congenital abnormality or some toxin like a drug or virus.
In order to have a bone marrow transplant, I am pretty sure your child received a fair dose of chemotherapeutic agents, one of which was likey
toxic to the cells of her heart. Anything beyond this is total surmising on my part and I feel it best for you to discuss these possible options
with your daughter's doctors. Your daughter's heart may simply be "slightly enlarged" due to her high blood pressure and there is no myocyte (cardiac muscle)
damage at all. The good news for you and your family is that very young children are the ones who do the best when faced with the diagnosis of ALL, as
well their hearts are resilent and with proper treatment over the years usually fair very well, especially in those who have only "slight enlargement".
Please write back with more questions if you need to and Good Luck to your daughter.
Information provided in the heart forum is intended for general medical informational
purposes only, actual diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s).

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