Re: Arrhythmias

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD-sc on October 13, 1997 at 15:44:39:

In Reply to: Arrhythmias posted by Donna on October 06, 1997 at 18:50:51:







: I am a 39-year-old female with diagnosed arrhythmias and family history.  My father died at age 50 from an apparent heart attack (no autopsy performed).  My older brother at age 31 (1988) had a near fatal heart attack (diagnosis spastic artery).  My younger brother at age 31 died 10 months ago from an apparent heart attack (although symptoms show it could have been stroke).  My doc decided to pursue the cause for my irregular EKG and obvious arrhythmias by sending me to a cardiologist.  He performed a cardiac cath which showed no coronary artery disease.  He prescribed magnesium and potassium to help the arrhythmias.  My family is not satisfied with this diagnosis.  They want me to pursue this further.  Should I?  How would I go about pursuing this further.  I am not sure about anything except that I am scared I might drop dead like my younger brother did.  Other symptoms I have are constant fatigue, occasional dizziness, constant arrhythmias (feels like my pulse skips every fourth beat.  It does seem to be better since the magnesium started one week ago.  Any suggestions?




























































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Dear Donna
I am very sorry to hear about your family history, and although  it does not mean that you are going to have the same predicament I agree that you have to exclude any possible conditions that might put you at risk for having a cardiac event. First of all I would like to stress that are other cardiac conditions apart from diseases of the coronary arteries that could rise to what is called sudden cardiac death. These include disease of the heart muscle  called cardiomyopathies or disease of heart rhythm which themselves may associated with abnormal development of one of the chambers of the heart. Unfortunately these conditions are not all diagnosed by means of a cardiac cath, but would require an echocardiogram done by an experienced cardiologist in this field and a complete evaluation of the electrical system of your heart, preferably done by an electrophsiologist. I do not want to alarm you in any way but most conditions are potentially treatable and it would be a shame if they were to be missed. I would however like to stress that you may have no problem whatsoever because the genetic transmission of some of the conditions I have mentioned is very complex. I will therefore conclude by saying that I tend to agree with your family that a more in depth evaluation than an isolated cardiac cath would be recommended, preferably in an institution that deals with similar problems on a regular basis. I wish you the best of luck. Please refer also to the question  posted on August 21st on this forum which will give you more information on the issue of sudden cardiac death.
If you would like any further information or would like to see one of our cardiologists here at The Cleveland Clinic for this evaluation please feel free to call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical information only. Actual diagnosis and treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made your family physician(s).