Left ventricular hypertrophy and valvular heart disease

[wellnessmd15146]

Last year I had a stress echo which showed : severe LV hypertrophy with mild to moderate mitral, aortic and tricuspid valve regurgiation.  Stress echo did not showed nomal functioning without any pulmonary hypertension.
I am not on any BP meds and my BP is usually low except in my PCP's office whrn the syatolic BP seems a little high.  He gave me some Benicar and I got very dizzy and have not used it since. I am not diabetic, have had Gastric Bypass in the past and several dental procedures in the past. I have had Gyn myemectomy surgery in the past and did have post-op ever treated with antibiotics. I don't have a documented history of Rheumatic Fever, but I did have at least one episode of Strep throat as an adult diagnosed and treated by my ENT Physician.
I have never had syphillis.
My mom died five months after a pace-maker after sudden difficulty functioning and a period in which I noticed sleep apnea and sought Cardiology intervention.  Upon questioning him after her sudden death, the Cardiologist later stated to me that she had valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertention.disease.
Should I be concerned about the same risk factors and do I need intervention now.

[skydnsr]

Great post.  I learned a lot.  Thanks.

[grendslori]

Yes, this is something that you need to be concerned about. You should also be evaluated by a center that sees a lot of patients with HCM (Hypertropthic Cardiomyopathy) such as the Mayo or Cleveland Clinics. There are several forms of cardiomyopathy, the most common is where the walls are too thin and the heart no longer beats strong enough for the blood to be pumped out to the body. This is known as Systolic Heart failure or Dilated Cardiomyopathy; most people call it, simply, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The second most common form is where the walls of the heart are too thick and because they are too thick, the walls cannot relax to allow blood to fill the chambers so not enough blood is pumped out to the body. This is known as Diastolic Heart Failure. Sometimes HCM only affects the left ventricle, other times it affects both ventricles in which case it is called "Concentric" HCM. This form is extremely rare. Both of these forms of cardiomyopathy are chronic in nature however arrhythmias can develop and cause problems. HCM is generally always genetic and as your mother had to have a pacemaker and appears to have died at a young age?? she too may have actually had HCM. If you have children or brothers and sisters, they should all have EKGs as well as echoes to see if they also have an issue with this disease. High Blood Pressure is the primary cause for HCM in adults, but you say you do not have HBP; have you ever been treated for it? Another (although EXTREMELY RARE) cause of HCM is Glycogen Storage Disease; the gene is PRKAG2. This gene caused the destruction of my daughter's heart. Calcium Channel Blockers help with the relaxation of the thickened walls and some patients feel better as a result. Being first diagnosed in adulthood is far better than being first diagnosed during childhood because children have to go through puberty; this disease can get much worse during growing periods. Adults tend to stay more stable and given the differences between CHF and HCM, most will tell you that it is far better to have HCM because of the progression of the disease. Take care