Re: Risks and Stress Tests

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on November 29, 1998 at 08:31:00:

In Reply to: Re: Risks and Stress Tests posted by Kimberly on November 28, 1998 at 19:57:28:







:
I am responding to your question as to why I am having another stress test.  First let me say I am 28, 5'6, and 111 pounds.  I have always been physically active and began experiencing these symptoms in February of this year.  During these past 10 months I have gone from aerobics 4x week to lasting a minute and half on treadmill.  Though my exercise treadmill was not normal, my 24 ekg was normal, of course I had a good 24 hours and didn't "feel" anything.  It showed a highly variable rate and some palpitations but nothing that would cause the treadmill incident.  My echo was normal except for a minor mvp.  My doctor does not think the mvp is significant enough to cause the treadmill incident either.  My doctor is afraid of putting me on the treadmill again because of the last incident, however  I feel that when I feel bad again I can get off the treadmill,  I am nervous about "feeling" that way for the six minute period.  During the treadmill incident, I was just told that my heart began to beat differently.  I am not clear on what exactly that means.  I am on light activity until the cause of the exercise intolerance is found.  Since May I have fainted three times including the treadmill and during all three times I was physically active.  As I stated before,  I am nervous about going through what happens when I exercise.  Both my parents had heart disease diagnosed when they were in their late thirties and my sibling who is 23 also has a mvp but remains active.  Any further input on your part would be helpful.  Thank you.
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Dear Kimberly
It sounds like you have a history of exercise-induced arrhythmia. The exact diagnosis could possibly have been made from the exercise test. The chemical stress test is to look for blockages in the coronary arteries as a cause of the arrhythmia. This may be a reasonable thing to do depending on the specific type of arrhythmia. While it is statistically unlikely that a 28 year old female would have coronary artery disease, I suspect your stated family history is why your doctor wants this test. The chemical stress test does not raise the heart rate like exercise, so it probably will not produce the fast heart rate. I am assuming you are under the care of a cardiologist for this work-up (you should be). The mild MVP on echo is not an issue.
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.