Cardiomyopathy

[pippy164]

Can anyone tell me if LVH with hypokenetic function and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the same?
I understand LVH to be a thickened muscle that does not have enough force to pump.  Can this be halted in any way?

Many thanks. .

[pippy164]

Hi again.

Thank you for the information, very informative. As I understand it diastolic dysfunction is graded and I have grade 1 hence me saying the "start off".  I do have arrhythmia problems and being monitored with an implanted reveal device.    I am yet to get any feed back on this issue.  I believe I have spells of tachycardia and bradycardia but the device loses my rythmn at times. I do not get told anything by the technician. I have also been told that my ECG has flat T waves and SVTs. Thank you for recommending centres in America but I am, in fact, in England and here things are a little slower, hence no information of what is going on with my heart. I have not had the best of care from my local hospital that is why it took 3 years to repair my PFO and pursuing three different hospitals.  My stomach surgeon was the one who took over (I am due an operation for severe reflux which has damaged my gullet and stomach) and got me to see the right Cardiologist.  I have taken your comments on board and will be asking a lot of questions when I eventually see the Cardiologist.  I am not going to let this issue go on for so long as my PFO.  Many thanks.

[grendslori]

Forgot to mention. Diastolic Dysfunction is NOT a START of heart failure; it is already a form of heart failure. There are two different types of failure, primarily: Systolic (where the walls are too thin and cannot pump blood out of the heart which is, far and away, the most common form of failure and the worst form. This form is also known as Congestive Heart Failure {CHF}) and Diastolic which is where the heart walls are too thick. Because they are too thick they cannot relax well enough to allow the blood to fill in the heart chambers and as a result, not enough blood makes it out to the body and the left atrium chamber can also become enlarged. A very small percentage of patients with HCM will develop a "burn out" and the walls of their hearts will go on to develop Systolic Heart Failure and their walls will begin to thin out; those patients will require a heart transplant generally. There are many treatments for both forms of heart failure; calcium channel blockers tend to work better with HCM patients than beta blockers as the former tends to help the muscle relax better. If the heart's electrical system is out of wack, pacemakers and ICDs can be put in to control that. There are a lot of options, transplantation being the rarest and as last result. If I can help you further, let me know. Take care  

[grendslori]

Has anyone given you a diagnosis of HCM? If you have an echo that shows that then you probably have that. There are two really good centers here in the US for going to: The Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic. Most transplant universities have cardiac centers whom also deal with this form of heart disease. HCM is a chronic disease and many people can live a full life having the disease, in fact only about 5% of HCM patients go on to have transplants. You should have a full work-up including seeing an EP Specialist so that you can be checked for arrhythmia issues as well; something that can be common in HCM patients. Take care

[pippy164]

Thank you for your comments and sorry to hear about your daughter. I am not wishing me nor anyone else to have this condition, I am merely accummulating information for my consultation and trying to understand. My heart echo does show thickening of the left side of heart and septal bulge.  It also shows diastolic dysfunction which I understand to be the start of heart failure. It has taken me 5 years after several mini stroke for anyone to investigate for a PFO, so I am wanting knowledge that is all.

[grendslori]

Okay, I just have to jump in here. (Having a daughter with secondary HCM) I really wish doctors would not use these terms the way they do. LV stands for left ventricle and the H obviously stands for hypertrophy which actually means "enlargement or thickening". A person can have thin walls and still be classified as having LVH as the OVERALL size of the heart can be enlarged (like a water filled balloon, for example). OR a person can have a normal sized heart but have thickened walls; those patients are also classified as having LVH or HCM, depending on the doctor. In HCM the patient is in Diastolic Heart Failure where the walls of the left ventricle, and /or the septal walls or even all of the walls (Concentric form of HCM) are thickened. The Concentic form is extremely rare. When the walls of the heart are too thick, they do not relax properly and therefore the chambers cannot fill with blood the way they should; this is the opposite of the much more common form of heart failure referred to as Systolic or Congestive Heart Failure where the walls are too thin and do not have the strength to pump the blood out to the body. Of the two (and there are several other forms of Cardiomyopathies) this form is the more serious. HCM can be either genetic in nature and does not skip generations if it is or it can, more rarely, be sporadic. It can also be a secondary form of heart disease caused by high blood pressure or Glycogen Storage Disease. PFO's are found in EVERY baby born, this is a natural issue and is not classified as a genetic problem as all babies have it; some need surgery to close this opening, most openings close on their own by the time the baby turns about one year of age. These babies have a "Functional Heart Murmur". As far as having a valve regurg......almost everyone on the planet has this to some degree, most have no idea they have it. Why are you thinking about going down the road to genetic HCM? Have you had an echo done? If so, that disease would have EASILY shown up and you would already have been told you have it. HCM is something you DON'T want to have!  

[pippy164]

Thanks for that.  In other words LVH can be caused by HCM? I do not suffer with high blood pressure but do have some valve regurgiation but told nothing to worry about.I have just had a PFO closure which is genetic so maybe I should go down the road of genetic HCM. I do not know if either of my parents have but my mother does have a lot of heart issues.

[ed34]

Let me have another go in case that's highly confusing, because when I read it back, I was scratching my head.

Imagine someone with viral pneumonia. They have inflamed lungs. LVH would be the term used for the inflamed lungs. HCM would be the name for the viral pneumonia. So the HCM (pneumonia) is the CAUSE of the LVH (inflamed lungs).

[ed34]

Is LVH (left ventricle Hypertrophy) the same as HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?)

I think Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is disease of the heart muscle, most causes are unkown but there are genetic factors involved.

Not really, but reading about them it's understandable why some people would think so. HCM is a primary disease and can LEAD to LVH. So HCM is the cause, the disease which can sometimes be the cause of LVH which is not a disease, it's basically the term for a condition which has been caused by something else. I hope this makes sense.
LVH can be caused by high blood pressure, valve problems etc and also HCM. HCM is mostly caused by a genetic problem. If a parent has HCM then the children have a 1 in 2 chance of getting it.