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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
What can I expect
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
What can I expect
by Michele__0__0, Nov 10, 1998 12:00AM
Thank you for answering this letter....
I was diagnosed with Mitral valve prolapse one year ago after experiencing chest pain, fatigue and high blood pressure.My cardiologist prescribed atenolol
12.5 mg twice daily. During this past year I have followed all her instructions. I've lost 35 lbs, quit smoking, restricted my caffeine intake,etc. About
a month ago, I began having chest pain when I exercised. I recently had an echo ultrasound done and it showed that I had a mild to moderate amount of regurgitation
from the mitral valve and a moderate to large amount of regurgitation from the tricuspid valve. I have also noticed that I am fatigued a-lot sooner than usual
when I exercise or do outdoor activities. My blood pressure has come down, at last visit it was 112/66. Since heart disease runs in my family on both maternal and
paternal sides, what can I expect as far as prognosis? Is this condition usually treated with medicine, diet etc? I am otherwise a healthy 32 year old female, I just
like feeling like I can't be as active as I normally would like to be...Once again thank you for your time and any help would be appreciated...Michele
Doctor's Answer
by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Nov 10, 1998 12:00AM
_
Dear Michele, thank you for your question. I suspect that you may have degeneration of the mitral and tricuspid valve leaflets to cause the valvular regurgitation that was seen on your echo. The valvular regurgitation could be causing your symptoms of fatigue and chest pain. I doubt that you have blockages in the coronary arteries to cause your chest pain given your age and gender. Your medications could be adjusted to improve your symptoms and I suspect that your echo may need to repeated to confirm the amount of valvular regurgitation that was seen initially. If these findings are confirmed, you may need surgical repair of both valves in the future, but that decision will have to be made by your own cardiologist. In the meantime, I suggest that you see your cardiologist again to discuss these issues. Good luck!
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
Dear Michele, thank you for your question. I suspect that you may have degeneration of the mitral and tricuspid valve leaflets to cause the valvular regurgitation that was seen on your echo. The valvular regurgitation could be causing your symptoms of fatigue and chest pain. I doubt that you have blockages in the coronary arteries to cause your chest pain given your age and gender. Your medications could be adjusted to improve your symptoms and I suspect that your echo may need to repeated to confirm the amount of valvular regurgitation that was seen initially. If these findings are confirmed, you may need surgical repair of both valves in the future, but that decision will have to be made by your own cardiologist. In the meantime, I suggest that you see your cardiologist again to discuss these issues. Good luck!
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
