answers

  I have had a diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy for the past
  years. I am currently 33.  I have never had any symptom except an
  occcasional PVC.  Recentl I began having them frequently and was placed
  on a beta blocker.  My questions:
  1.  What are the increased chances of sudden death?
  2.  What is my prognosis?  One doc says very good, one says he has no idea.
  3.  All of the tests came back negative except for the echo which clearly
      shows the hypertrophy.
  4.  Should I take the beta bloscker forever.  Are there other ways to
      eliminate the PVCs?
  5.  Is there another purpose for the beta blockers?

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear Dennis, thank you for your question.  Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) refers to a thickening of the heart muscle that is usually caused by chronic high blood pressure or stenosis of the aortic valve.  These conditions usually occur in people much older than you so there may be another cause for your LVH that you may want to speak to your physician about.  There is a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that occurs in young people and is manifest by focal or diffuse left ventricular hypertrophy.  Thus, I would need to know the exact cause of your LVH to accurately answer all of your questions.  However, I'll try to give you as much information as possible.
PVC's can be caused by LVH but there is little chance of sudden death with PVC's alone.  Depending on the cause of your LVH, PVC's may indicate a different prognosis.  I hesitate to comment on prognosis since I don't have all the information I need, so I'll have to defer to your physicians.  Beta blockers are good medications that suppress PVC's by stabilizing the heart rhythm and focal areas of the heart muscle that may be prone to producing PVC's.  Common precipitants of PVC's are alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco so you should avoid these precipitants.  I can't say whether you will need beta blockers indefinitely, only your physician can comment on that.  Beta blockers are also used to treat high blood pressure so if you have that, the medication may have a dual effect in you.  I apologize for being so vague, but if you could write back with more information, I could provide more specific answers.
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.