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Subject: Re: High Heart Rate
Forum: The Heart Forum
Topic Area: Heart Disease
Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on June 11, 1998 at 15:41:12:
In Reply to: High Heart Rate posted by Debbie on June 08, 1998 at 18:06:41:
My husband has a rare disease called POEMS. My question is this : his heart rate has increased, and stays about the same for the last 2 months. Rate stays around 122 bpm. This disease he has does at some point like to atack major organs. He is on 6 different meds, but these we do not think have contributed to this high rate. Just how high is this, what is considered normal, and what complications could result from this?
Thank you,
Debbie
Dear Debbie, thank you for your question. I have done a thorough search of the
medical literature back to 1965 and there are no references about cardiovascular
disease and POEMS disease. As you may know, POEMS is an acronym that stands for
Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, M-proteins, and skins changes.
The hallmark of this disease is a sensory and motor neuropathy associated with
collections of a type of white blood cell called plasma cells. These plasma
cells produce M-proteins which are large quantities of antibodies that are
implicated in the other manifestations of the disease. Endocrine dysfunction is
present and results in diabetes and loss of menstrual cycles in women. Organomegaly
refers to enlargement of the liver and spleen while the common skin changes are
hyperpigmentation and thickening of the skin. Cardiac manifestations are not
listed so I wonder if the medications he's on could be causing his heart rate
to increase or whether he has intrinsic heart disease. Other causes of tachycardia
include anemia, fever, low blood pressure, pain, etc. These secondary causes
of chronic tachycardia need to be ruled out before he can be listed as having a
primary tachycardia. In the short term, tachycardia can be well tolerated if the
heart is normal. But, long-term (> 1 month), tachycardia can cause the left
ventricle to pump less efficiently since it is in effect "worn out from over-
exertion." Thus, your husband should be evaluated by a cardiologist regarding
his tachycardia if this problem hasn't been evaluated already. I hope you
find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Specific
diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician
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