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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Enlarged Heart?
Answered by
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Enlarged Heart?
by nigel2323, Jan 20, 2005 12:00AM
I am 18 years old and have recently been diagnosed with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy. I currently weigh 270 lbs at 5’ 8’’. For the last two years I have been suffering from palpations, a rapid pulse, chest pains, and shortness of breathe. Since my symptoms started two years ago, I have seen a number of cardiologists and they never are able to give me a comprehensible answer. As of late, I was told my LVH was due to the fact I’m obese (however my BP is normal, I take 25 mg of Atenolol).
I’ve had many tests, including a SPECT scan, ECHO, Holter, Stress Test ect. The SPECT scan was normal with an E.F. of 72%. The ECHO showed hypertrophy of the septum (1.5 cm) with an E.F. of 88%. I’ve also been told that my heart is working harder than it should due to the fact that I’ve markedly obese. However, I worry that I suffer from a more serious condition like hypertrohic cardiomyopathy despite the doctor’s reassurance.
I have posted here before and was told I might have WPW. My EKG and other tests are online (www.fastsilicon.com/heart). As you can see, my EKG shows an infarct pattern despite the normal SPECT scan. This is why I’m worried I have something serious going on.
Is it possible for my LVH to regress after losing weight? Have you heard of obese teenagers with LVH? I'm very worried that I'm dying and have myself truly convinced I suffer from a serious condition.
Thank You,
Nigel
I’ve had many tests, including a SPECT scan, ECHO, Holter, Stress Test ect. The SPECT scan was normal with an E.F. of 72%. The ECHO showed hypertrophy of the septum (1.5 cm) with an E.F. of 88%. I’ve also been told that my heart is working harder than it should due to the fact that I’ve markedly obese. However, I worry that I suffer from a more serious condition like hypertrohic cardiomyopathy despite the doctor’s reassurance.
I have posted here before and was told I might have WPW. My EKG and other tests are online (www.fastsilicon.com/heart). As you can see, my EKG shows an infarct pattern despite the normal SPECT scan. This is why I’m worried I have something serious going on.
Is it possible for my LVH to regress after losing weight? Have you heard of obese teenagers with LVH? I'm very worried that I'm dying and have myself truly convinced I suffer from a serious condition.
Thank You,
Nigel
Doctor's Answer
by Cleveland Clinic, Jan 20, 2005 12:00AM
, Jan 20, 2005 12:00AM
nigel,
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is generally an inherited condition. There are different manifestations of the disease. Without a family history it is somewhat rare for it to appear out of the blue. That said, LVH is also pretty rare in an 18 year old without a significant history of hypertension or aortic stenosis. I would make sure you do have your records evaluated at a tertiary care center that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with HCM.
Is it possible for my LVH to regress after losing weight?
Difficult to tell. Certainly it can regress with strict blood pressure control which can come with the weight loss. Again, it would be important to make sure there isnt another cause.
Have you heard of obese teenagers with LVH?
Not without a secondary underlying cause such as hypertension, valve disease or HCM.
Good luck.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is generally an inherited condition. There are different manifestations of the disease. Without a family history it is somewhat rare for it to appear out of the blue. That said, LVH is also pretty rare in an 18 year old without a significant history of hypertension or aortic stenosis. I would make sure you do have your records evaluated at a tertiary care center that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with HCM.
Is it possible for my LVH to regress after losing weight?
Difficult to tell. Certainly it can regress with strict blood pressure control which can come with the weight loss. Again, it would be important to make sure there isnt another cause.
Have you heard of obese teenagers with LVH?
Not without a secondary underlying cause such as hypertension, valve disease or HCM.
Good luck.
Member Comments (4)
by pac10, Jan 21, 2005 12:00AM
Can someone tell me how you post a question on this forum. Everytime I click on post i get this message stating that the maximum postings have been acheived and they open it up for later time zones. Somebody needs to tell the good doctors that there are 7 times zones in the USA. And other than sitting at a PC from 8am to 5PM in all of the time zones one is SOL, one may never get to post. It's the middle of the night right now for me.
by karen23, Jan 21, 2005 12:00AM
To: pac10
It's just luck of the draw. The question slots seem to be open early in the am. Keep in mind it's a free forum and the doctors are volunteering their time. The forum is run by Med Help and staffed by Cleveland Clinic Cardiologists. I have posted twice in about a year (I think the rules state you can post a question once per six month period) I had difficulty but I persisted! Try early am (in whatever time zone you're in) and good luck.
by arthur, Jan 21, 2005 12:00AM
To: pac10
I've had the best luck posting between 8 and 9 am EST.
