Asthma and Heart problems

  : : Dear Doctor,
  : : I am writing to find out answers about my wife's condition.  She is a 24yo
  : : with a family Hx of Congenital Heart Disease (Uncle and Grandmother?), both
  : : dying in their thirties.  She also has been diagnosed with Asthma for almost
  : : four years.  We have live in Florida, Texas and California since then without
  : : any change in her asthma (currently in Texas).  It may be a little worse in
  : : Texas, she has been admitted to the hospital twice (brochitis,sinusitis,
  : : asthma).  While in the hospital she is pumped up with all kinds of asthma
  : : meds (salumedral IV, asthmacort, albuterol, serevent, alcolate and several
  : : otheres).  After a day of this she starts complaining of chest pain.  
  : : She does a lot of coughing but I don't think it costrochondritis sp?
  : : The doctor switches the medicine but the chest pain still persists.  
  : : He has also ordered an echocardiogram.  The only other cardio problem
  : : she has had was a heart murmer during her first pregnancy (when she
  : : was first diagnosed with asthma) What is your opinion in what is going on
  : : with her heart?  What is the echo for?  What kind of questions can I
  : : ask the pulmonologist to get the answers
  : : my wife needs?
  :

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

  : Dear Dan,
  : Although there is some degree of hereditary influence in congenital heart disease, it is very unlikely that your wife has any serious disorder of her heart that hasn't been detected until this time.  The murmur during pregnancy is normal, and the fact that she did well (I assume) through the pregnancy is another excellent sign that she has no serious heart disease.   More likely, the chest pain is due to coughing and congestion from the asthmatic exacerbation.
  : Depending on the results of the examination and the ECG, an echocardiogram might be useful to definitively rule out any significant disorder of the heart.   I would simply ask the doctor whether the echo showed anything concerning.  I would be surprised if it does, and expect that the test will reassure you that the chest pain is not coming from the heart.
  : Information in the Heart Forum is for general purposes.  Specific diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.  
  
  Thank you for your insight.  The echo turned out normal according to the cardiologist.  There was some discussion
  of whether there might be a MVP or not.  Can this be related?
  thank you
  Dan
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Dear Dan:
MVP [mitral valve prolapse] can cause chest pains and palpitations.  However, it is a diagnosis that is made much more often than it is truly present.  I suspect that if there was some discussion of whether it was seen or not on the echo, it is not really there.  
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.