Left bundle branch block plus other symptoms.....

  I placed this questions originally under the heading of mitral valve regurgitation and irregular heart beats on 1/11/99, but have received no response yet, so I thought I would try to place it under a different subject heading.
  I am a 33-year-old female in otherwise good health, presenting with the following symptoms:
  A complete left bundle branch block, that showed up for the first time in November during surgery on my left breast.  Subsequent ECG's and stress tests ordered by my cardiologist have showed the complete LBBB and also some mitral valve regurgitation.  My physical symptoms besides those already mentioned include the following:  irregular heartbeats, sometimes racing, then slow and pounding, for which I am currently wearing a 30-day continuous-loop event recorder, to determine cause of these irregularities; some shortness of breath; tired and fatigued at times; bluish color around outer edges of my lips occasionally with some tingling sensations; some problem with feeling cold more often than usual; some dizziness or lightheadedness; an LDH cholesterol level of 40; a heart murmur that is new....wasn't present during an echo I have done 2 years ago; low blood pressure; a stress test that showed no signs of blockages; some slight swelling in my left ankle.  My family history includes no-known-cause sudden death paternal great-uncles, grandfather and great uncle who died of aneurysms (head and abdominal), and maternal great-grandfather died of heart attack.  Nephew and paternal first cousin both with heart disease diagnosed between ages of infancy and 7 years old.  I read 2 other articles posted on the heart forum pertaining to LBBB, dated June and December of 1998, and some of the symptoms described in those letters were the same as mine.  I guess my questions are these:  1.  Is mitral valve regurgitation a serious condition? 2.  Combined with my LBBB, could the mitral valve regurgitation be a problem?  3.  Could my murmur and LBBB be related to the mitral valve problem? and 4.  Although I have read that LBBB cannot cause any symptoms, isn't it a little odd that myself and the two other women who wrote to you about LBBB had several common symptoms?  Could this mean that LBBB may cause symptoms that up to this point haven't been recognized?  I would appreciate help on any of these questions.  Thank you very much for your time.
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Dear Barbara
1.  It can be. It depends on how much regurgitation there is. A trace or mild amount is of little significance. A severe amount usually requires surgery. A moderate amount usually requires close observation.
2.  The two are not directly related.
3.  Mitral valve regurgitation can cause a murmur.
4.  No. LBBB does not, in and of itself, cause any symptoms. Some people, especially younger patients, have a LBBB with no underlying heart disease. In older people, LBBB is more likely to be associated with coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy or degeneration of the conduction system of the heart.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
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.